Goodbye isn't forever
by wolfgrl1423
Summary: A war is waged between the lion demons and the dog demons when a young lord of the East who had been pursuing Rin is murdered by Rin's awakened mysterious powers. Now Sesshomaru must regain the trust he lost from Rin after his 4 year absence to save her.
1. Chapter 1

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin cried out as she waved her arms back and forth. Her demon lord turned his golden orbs towards her, momentarily taking her breath away. He didn't reply, but she grinned at him and held out the flowers she had gathered. He shifted his gaze from her face to the flowers in her hands before turning away and dismissing her.

Rin didn't feel offended in the least at his behavior, living nine years with him had taught her that it was in his nature to act that way. And it was the way she liked it, she enjoyed the predictable behavior of her lord. It made her feel safe and secure in his presence.

"Why do you put up with such a girl? She's such a pain my lord," she heard Jaken say with his arms crossed and a shake of his head, and she glared up at him. The two demons were standing up top a hill that they had been waiting on for her to collect her flowers before moving on.

Jaken hated having to waste time for her, but Lord Sesshomaru always _made_ time for her. Sometimes it caused a few bumps to appear from a nearby stone to get Jaken to comply, but most of the time the toad demon would just grumble in a corner while Rin went on her way.

"Master Jaken! I heard that!" Rin yelled at the toad, her eyes still narrowed in a glare at the little demon while she tightly balled her hands into fists. She was so angry at his comment, so angry that he would even _suggest_ that she was a nuisance, that she broke all the stems of the flowers she had collected.

"You wretched little girl! Don't make me come down there and-" Jaken was interrupted in his threat when the sound of rapid footsteps breaking flowers and shifting through the grass was heard. Living with two demons had honed Rin's human senses, so her hearing was nearly as good as theirs. Of course she could never equal theirs, but she was still better off than any other human.

Rin saw Sesshomaru tense slightly before his hand reached for Tokijin that was attached to his belt. Jaken's expression changed from rage to horror in a matter of seconds and Rin hurriedly whirled around to spot whatever was coming her way. A moment later a huge figure appeared from behind a cluster of trees, its red eyes gleaming in the sun light. It turned its head this way and that before landing on her and its eyes instantly seemed to glow as it let out a loud howl.

Unable to control her shaking Rin stared at the monster before her, and took in its appearance. It had very dark purple skin, and it's arms were twice the length of its legs, both covered with random patches of black hair. A large amount of black hair sat atop its head and went down its spine. It's rib cage was showing distinctly under its tightly pulled purple skin. Its snout also seemed strangely too large for its body, and it pulled back its purple lips to bare razor sharp teeth at the trio. Those teeth were enough to get Rin's limbs moving and she made a dash for Lord Sesshomaru and Jaken, dropping her flowers on the way.

The demon let out an angered hiss and she could hear it running behind her. It was probably double her size, so it could cover much more distance then she could with her human legs. True to her assumptions the demon was on her before she could make it even remotely close to her friends.

One of it's larger-than-normal arms reached out and one purple hand grabbed a hold of her leg. Rin fell swiftly to the ground and let out a scream. The demon let out a victory howl as it dragged Rin along the grass towards it and placed both hands on either side of her. She turned to look up at it in horror, and her expression only seemed to fuel its wanting of her even more. Its right hand came up and roughly pushed her around so she lay on her back in the grass. It pushed one of its legs up and spread her legs apart as it let out a loud growl in Rin's face. She turned her head away from it and closed her eyes, willing it to go away and for her to be safe again. She shivered and let out another scream when she felt its slimy tongue lick her cheek and its leg push her legs even farther apart. Rin was waiting for it to bite her, but shot her eyes open when she felt the air from a sword swing hit her face and she turned up to see that Tokijin had sliced off the demon's head. Sesshomaru had come to her rescue, and had gracefully jumped to slice off the head. Rin watched him as if it were happening in slow motion, and watched in awe as he landed on his feet softly as the headless body fell right behind him.

He sheathed Tokijin on his belt before turning around to look at her, and she hadn't realized until Sesshomaru's eyes perked slightly with interest that she was shaking uncontrollably. He stayed away from her, which was good on his part. If he had approached her then she was sure that she'd flinch in fear, even though he had been her savior. Rin was in such a state of shock that she was sure if _anyone_ had approached her then she'd be deathly afraid.

"Rin you insult girl, you did it again! You attract too much unwanted attention and are causing Lord Sesshomaru to go out of his way all the time for you!" Jaken yelled as he came up to her and bopped her on the head with his staff. Rin grabbed the spot that he had hit and winced while huddling in a ball. She heard a low growl before she heard Jaken squawking in pain and his tiny body hitting the floor. Rin opened her eyes and looked over to see that Jaken had been hit in the head with a rock and Sesshomaru was slightly glaring down at him.

He seemed to sense her eyes on him and shifted his gaze to her before she swiftly looked away.

"Rin," he called.

"Yes, my lord?" she asked, returning her chocolate eyes back to him.

"Let's go," he answered and Rin had no choice but to answer his command. She instantly stopped shaking and got up to stand beside him. He watched her move all the way to his side before looking back at Jaken, who was still twitching on the ground.

"Jaken, get up," Sesshomaru commanded and the toad instantly got up and bowed to him.

"Yes my lord," he stated and hurried over to their side. The trio walked for a time until the sun started to set and Sesshomaru set up a secure area for Rin to find food and rest. Rin was always thankful that her lord took her human needs into consideration when they traveled. She had never asked it of him, but he gave it nonetheless. After her basic needs were taken care of she curled up by a fire she had made and went to sleep without any trouble. Whenever she was under her lord's careful watch she never felt the need to fear for her safety, so she always slept soundly.

(Divider)

Lord Sesshomaru watched his ward carefully as she slept, noticing how much older and taller she had gotten since he first saw her. She was a runt of a human when she had first traveled with them, but now as a woman she had grown quite tall. She nearly reached his height, which was remarkable for a human since most seemed barely able to reach his chest.

Rin had also grown older in both mind and body, her cheerful almost childlike personality still intake from when she was a child, but seeming to have matured somewhat. Her body also had gone through a sort of transformation of its own, her frame was still petite for a human but she had filled out in all the ways a woman should. The observation unsettled him since he had never one noticed his ward as anything but a companion until recently. To be perfectly honest he had seen her as he saw AhUh, a traveling companion and nothing more.

But in the past few months he had started to notice her much more...sexually. She had started her menstrual cycles, signaling that she was mature enough to carry child, and since then their lives had gone to hell. Demons from all over could smell her miles away and ran as fast as they could to find her. As young as she was, her scent was much stronger and much more intoxicating then most.

He was sure his scent didn't help matters either, whenever a human smelled of a demon it usually meant he or she was or had offered "services" to them. Most demons saw humans as play things or "pets" more then actual companions, so treatment of humans as such was not seen as a crime of any sort. With Rin's scent on such a rise, mixed with his, he was sure they were giving demons all the wrong signals. Not to mention that he himself was having trouble around her. While he would never become as barbaric or out of control as the demon that had attacked Rin earlier was, he was still uncertain of how he would start reacting to her if she continued to stay with him.

The thought was a hard one to swallow, since he had traveled with Rin for so long, she had become a part of their group that it would feel strange without her. He was starting to think of ways to help them all when Jaken walked over to his side and sat on a nearby log.

"It's getting worse my lord," he whispered to him, giving spare glances at Rin's sleeping form, "Today that demon didn't even see you," he added. That _had _bothered him, most of the time demons would notice his aura and hesitate, even if it were for a second, but the one from earlier hadn't even seemed to sense him.

"I will take care of it," Sesshomaru replied, not taking his eyes off Rin as he watched her body slowly rise and fall with her constant rhythmic breathing.

"Hopefully it will be soon. Even you won't be able to resist," Jaken commented, but shrunk away when he noticed Sesshomaru's disapproving glare. Jaken was immune to Rin's scent since he had found another demon like him and had claimed her as his mate. Once a demon had a mate, they mate for life, so no other female's scent could ever faze Jaken, even Rin's. At the moment Sesshomaru felt slightly envious at Jaken's immunity towards her, and wondered if he could possibly gain some kind of immunity too. That way he wouldn't need to worry about losing her, but knew that there was no other way at the moment but to find a more suitable location for her.

"It'll be tonight, it's the only way," Sesshomaru replied and stood to walk over to Rin's side. The closeness intensified Rin's scent and Sesshomaru's nostrils flared as he took in the intoxicating aroma. His senses seemed overwhelmed by her and he could sense his eyes start to glow red and his mind fill with need to mate with her._ So close...so perfect_ he thought and growled lightly to shut his mind up. His arms wound around her shoulders and thighs as he hoisted her up and she fell against his chest when he stood.

She cuddled closer to him and one hand grabbed out to gently clench his clothing before she snuggled her head into his chest. It was a innocent child-like act, but he couldn't help the need to be inside her that was filling him. He clenched his jaw as his hold on her body tightened slightly as he started to walk. Of course to an onlooker it probably looked like he was thinking rather then having an all out war going on inside his head.

Once he was sure she didn't awaken from all the movement he quickened his steps before it became an all out run towards Inuyasha's Village. He knew of an old priestess that cared for Inuyasha and his friends when they were injured or in need of shelter. While he would rather stay as far away from anyone who was friends with his half brother, he knew she was his only option. Giving Rin to Inuyasha's group was out of the question, he would never ask his brother for help for _anything_. That wasn't about to change, no matter how much Rin meant to him.

In a matter of minutes the old tree that Inuyasha had been sealed to for fifty years came into view, along with the village and Sesshomaru was upon it in seconds. It was dark out now, and most of the humans were in their huts fast asleep. Even the animals were fast asleep and didn't react when he rushed by. The old lady's hut was easy to find, it was the largest one in the village and sat atop a hill next to a dug up grave.

When he approached the entrance the smell of earth and death coming from the dug up grave gave him a moment of relief from Rin's scent and his sexual thoughts. The silent bliss was wonderful, on the way over to the village his thoughts had gotten stronger and more descriptive. He had even started _fantasizing_ what he wanted to do to Rin. Rin was his, and he would never show her the darker nature that was the demon inside of him. Never hurt her like he knew he would if he lost control, he would never harm what was his. She was delicate and deserved better then to be taken forcefully and most likely (on her part) painfully.

He was about to push aside the hay curtain that covered the entrance to the Kaede's hut, but was stopped when the woman burst out with her bow knocked and an arrow pointing at his chest. At the sight of a sleeping Rin in his arms she loosened her arrow and stared at her in bewilderment.

"Lady Kaede," Sesshomaru stated nonchalantly, though it pained him to use such formalities with the human. It wasn't like she could do much if he didn't use her title, but it was unlike him since he was used to being polite. And if he were hostile with her it would only hinder his chances of her taking Rin into her care.

"What are ye doing here demon?" Kaede asked as she looked him up and down with suspicion. He felt his eyebrow twitch in mild anger when she didn't address him formally as he had her. The human could've at least returned the courtesy he had shown her.

"You've tended to Inuyasha and his friends, correct?" he asked.

"Aye,"

"I've come to drop off Rin,"

"Why should the girl stay with me? You've traveled with her for years and seem to take adequate care of her," Kaede noted as she looked over the expensive kimono that Rin was presently wearing. Indeed Sesshomaru tended to spoil her, but it was hard not to when she meant so much to him. No other being had ever meant so much, even his father and mother didn't matter as much as Rin did to him.

"I can no longer care for her, her life is in danger around me now that she's...gone through her womanly cycle," Sesshomaru answered feeling a little uncomfortable around the woman all of the sudden. He always assumed talk like "womanly cycles" were reserved for females, so with him being a male it felt unnatural and a little strange. Kaede seemed to think the same because her eyebrows shot up at the comment and she seemed a little uncomfortable as well.

"Oh...oh!" she replied before looking over Rin, then looking at him before returning to Rin. Sesshomaru lightly growled, registering what the old woman was thinking.

"I have not touched her, she is still innocent," he stated and could see Kaede's shoulders relax before she smiled at him.

"Good of ye to do so, or there would be no end to the mistreatment she might have received had she not been," Kaede replied and Sesshomaru couldn't help the protective growl and tightening of his hold on Rin's body that emitted from him. He would kill all those who were foolish enough to even jokingly tease his Rin. Suddenly he started thinking if leaving her there was such a good idea...

"She will be safe here Lord Sesshomaru. But is it the best for her? She hasn't been around humans for the majority of her childhood, do you think she'll make it through the transition?" Kaede asked and Sesshomaru felt his jaw tighten at the idea of Rin suffering in the least. He knew it would hurt her, and that she'd probably cry over him, but it would be better for her. He noted Kaede's expression turn to slight surprise as she watched him. He assumed some emotion must've gotten past his mask, and that it had taken her by surprise.

"How old is the girl now? Though I suppose I can't call her a girl anymore," Kaede added, seeming content without a direct answer from him about her previous question.

"Fifteen," he replied, and realized that she was at a ripe age for marriage. Most human women were wed by fourteen and with their first child at fifteen. The thought that a human man could possibly win Rin's heart and get her to bear his children sent a wave of disgust through him. He couldn't even stand the _idea _of another man _touching_ Rin.

"Ah, I see. Well bring her inside. I have an extra bed I keep for Kagome and her friends whenever they are here," Kaede stated and held up the hay curtain so Sesshomaru could walk into her home. It seemed even larger inside then on the outside, and was fairly bare for a priestess's home. From what he had heard priestesses were given donations from the townspeople for her protection, but from what he saw it didn't seem like the town could offer her much. A fire pit was stationed in the middle of the hut and a large pot was hung over it, he assumed it was food she had eaten earlier that day. A rug was spread out at the entrance and there was a wooden table at the edge of the hut were he saw a bunch of arrows and a knife. He presumed it must be her carving station were she would make her own arrows.

He spotted the bed she had spoke of near the fire pit, close enough for the warmth of the fire but far enough that there was no worry of getting burned. He gently laid Rin down on it and let one clawed hand cup her cheek. He was not a man of affection, but knew holding her this way was a form of it. He studied her face and memorized every feature there, intent on being satisfied in just the memory of her face. She turned towards his palm and let one hand come up and gently rub his knuckles before grabbing hold of his fingers. His eyes softened slightly at the unconscious action, and was amazed that somehow she was still able to tell it was him caressing her while she was asleep.

"She will be fine here Lord Sesshomaru," Kaede said softly a few feet behind him. He stood up, his back to her still, and stared at Rin for another long moment before turning around to look at the priestess. She studied him intently, but he made sure that his mask was intact and that there was no way she could see past it. She gave up a moment later and turned her eyes slightly to the side to peer at Rin.

"Take good care of her," Sesshomaru commanded and Kaede's lips broke out into a smile as she nodded.

"Like she were my very own," she promised and Sesshomaru looked into her eyes for a moment to read her sincerity. When he noted that it was there he nodded in contentment before he walked past her and out of her hut, not looking back at Rin's sleeping form.

"When will you be back to get her?" he heard the old woman call out to him, but he rushed away and never looked back.

(Divider)


	2. Chapter 2

Kaede was tending to her small garden in front of her hut when she heard calls coming from inside. The young girl has awakened and was distressed. Kaede let out a big sigh before placing her basket of crops on the floor and making her way to her hut.

The young girl burst through her doorway and called out her lord's name over and over again.

"Rest your lungs for more productive things child," Kaede advised. The girl jumped in surprise and looked over to her.

"Where's Lord Sesshomaru?" she asked.

"Gone, he left you in my care for the time being. I'm sure you'll love-" Kaede began but was cut off when the girl shook her head.

"No, he can't leave. He promised we'd be together forever, he promised!" she exclaimed.

"Maybe as a child he did, but since ye are growing up it's become complicated," Kaede tried to explain but the girl would have none of it. Her eyes welled up with tears and she quickly wiped them with her sleeve.

"You're lieing!" she cried.

"Stop this childish arguing girl! You're going to be a grown woman soon, you need to understand that Lord Sesshomaru could no longer care for you and move on," Kaede argued back but bit her lip, she hadn't meant to be so harsh. The girl let out a small sob before she whirled around and ran back into the hut.

"Nice going Kaede, she barely knows you for five minutes and she already hates you," Kaede murmured to herself before heading back to grab her basket of crops. She couldn't let it affect her; though she never bore any children of her own she knew that only being tough would get things done. She had dealt with enough children in her village to understand that. Heaving a sigh she placed the large basket against her left hip for support and moved towards the village. Her hut stood a good distance above the village, and while it wasn't a problem when she was younger she definitely hated the fact in old age.

"Having trouble old hag?" a man's voice asked from somewhere above her, Kaede closed her eyes in displeasure to the adjective used to signify her but held in her temper.

"I'm doing just fine Inuyasha. Thanks for your concern," she answered and turned her head upward to spot the half demon crouched on a tree branch staring back at her. A bell chimed not too far down the road and Kaede spotted Kagome waving up at her on her transportation device that she brought with her sometimes from the future. Kaede believed she called it a bike. When the woman was in speaking distance Inuyasha jumped down from the tree and grabbed Kaede's basket of crops.

"I'll help you with that Lady Kaede," Inuyasha stated suddenly, but Kaede understood what the half-demon was scheming and by Kagome's beaming eyes she knew he was succeeding.

"Thank you," Kaede said and the group walked in unison on their way to the village. Kagome was pushing her bike along when she asked,

"Lady Kaede, I know it's getting harder and harder for you to manage to take care of us-"

"Bah! I'm fine," Kaede replied annoyed that Kagome would even doubt her strength, "I'm still the priestess of this village and I protect everyone just fine,"

"I know that Kaede, it's just that I don't want you being overwhelmed with what I have to ask you," Kagome stated her eyebrows pulled together in worry.

"What do you need?" she asked.

"Shippo was really injured after a demon attack last night. Since he is a teenager now all his demonic powers are increasing and hitting him at once and he's loses control at times. He did last night. His body couldn't really handle all the power that he used to fight off the demons and he can barely stand up, I'm really worried about him," Kagome explained then turned her eyes to the ground, "I really hope it isn't any trouble, I tried healing him myself from what I learned from you, but nothing is working,"

Kaede's tough exterior melted away at the anguish in the woman's eyes. She knew Kagome saw Shippo as her child, and not being able to help him hurt Kagome deeply inside.

"Have him brought to me as soon as possible after I drop off these crops to the village. I need to make as much money as I can, especially with three mouths to feed now," Kaede stated.

"Three?" Kagome asked.

"I'm watching over Lord Sesshomaru's ward as well, but she isn't in the best of states right now. The child is heartbroken," Kaede answered.

"Why are you doing favors for him?" Inuyasha asked in complete disgust. Even though the war with Naraku had ended years ago the grudge between the two brothers had never faltered.

"I could tell he had no choice in the matter, and he is never known to ask for help from anyone. I suppose my emotions got the better of me in that judgment," Kaede replied.

"Oh I see, poor Rin. Sesshomaru's the only life she's ever known," Kagome murmured her eyes still down casted.

"I still don't see _why_ you'd help someone like him. What are you going to get out of it?" Inuyasha huffed.

"The satisfaction that I did something for the girl, and that she just might have a better life here than she would on her own," Kaede answered. Kagome gave her a small smile and Inuyasha kept his nose in the air but she saw the understanding in his eyes even if he didn't want to take his brother's side.

"Kaede, let us take the crops to the village. We'll sell them for you and bring back the profit. I'll have Shippo brought over right after," Kagome offered.

"Why?" she asked in reply.

"Because we'll get it done faster," Inuyasha replied and flinched when Kagome stomped on his foot.

"Because you can go back and make sure Rin is alright and watch after her. You can also get your energy together for when you heal Shippo," Kagome replied.

"If you two insist, it would be much quicker," Inuyasha stuck his tongue out mockingly at Kagome, "and maybe I can get the girl to warm up to me," Kaede added.

"We'll be back soon Kaede, thanks for being willing to care for Shippo," Kagome thanked her before hopping on her bike and the two took off in a rush towards the village.

"Well that's one less chore to worry about," Kaede murmured before slowly heading back towards her hut. Now all that was left was to face Sesshomaru's ward.


	3. Chapter 3

(divider)

Rin was still rubbing her red eyes when the old woman walked back into the hut. Rin gasped and quickly rubbed her eyes faster trying to hide the fact that she was crying. Lord Sesshomaru always advised her to keep her emotions to herself, and that if she cried it showed weakness.

"Are ye alright?" the elderly woman asked, her voice soft with concern. Rin turned up in surprise at the gentle sound of her voice. She had been used to either Jaken's nagging voice or Sesshomaru's silence when it came to her emotions. Not that she was complaining about either, but it was what she was used to.

"I miss Lord Sesshomaru," Rin murmured and hugged her knees to her chest, "and even Master Jaken,"

"I know child, and I'm sorry for my reaction earlier. It was unjust," the woman stated, "I wish to get to know ye better and for ye to like it here with me,"

"Won't he come back for me?" Rin asked, but by the way the woman's face fell and changed to worry she knew the answer.

"I don't know the answer to that my child," she answered truthfully but moved over and took Rin in her arms, "but ye will move on eventually," Rin felt uncomfortable at the closeness at first but then gave in and leaned against the elderly woman.

"Don't be afraid to cry my dear, there's no shame to cry in front of a friend," the elderly woman stated and rested her hand on Rin's head. Rin sniffled and her lower lip trembled. Then Rin pressed her head against her shoulder and started sobbing again, no longer afraid.

"That's it, let it out my dear. There's no shame, no shame at all," the woman murmured and rubbed her back soothingly. Rin cried and cried until she was too exhausted to keep her eyes open and fell asleep.

(divider)

Rin awoke a while later and saw that she was wrapped in a cloth blanket and resting against a corner of the hut. Her vision was a little blurry at first but when it focused she saw the elderly woman caring to a young man spread out across the floor.

The young man was covered in blood from head to toe, his clothes were torn and barely hung from his thin body. He seemed to be asleep, or passed out, as the elderly woman cleaned his arms with a wet cloth.

Rin yawned and stretched out slowly before rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"So you're awake now, how do you feel?" the woman asked. Rin looked at her and she stared back with worry lines creasing her forehead.

"I feel better," Rin lied. She really didn't, but didn't want the woman to worry about her. The young man she was caring for looked in worse shape.

"That's good, my name is Kaede. What is yours?" the woman asked while she continued to clean the young man's arm.

"Rin," she replied and the woman smiled but didn't look up from the young man's body.

"Is he ok?" Rin asked trying to get a peek at his face.

"He's fine, just exhausted. He was fighting a lot of demons last night and his demonic powers are growing very fast inside him each day. With a few days of good rest and some herbal medicine he'll be just fine," Kaede stated.

"Who is he?" Rin asked and moved over closer to Kaede and the young man.

"His name is Shippo. He travels with Inuyasha and Kagome's group," she answered. Rin's eyebrows went up in surprise at the name. She remembered him, but he was a little boy when she had first met him. He was small enough then to be held like a stuffed animal.

Rin stared down at him, he looked much taller then he was when she first met him and much older. His red hair which had once been held up in a small ponytail was cut short and barely reached his ears. It was a mess and drenched in dried blood, but she could still see that fiery red hair underneath. His face had thinned from the baby cheeks he once had that he looked quite handsome. His eyebrows were thick and as red as his hair. Even though his eyes were closed she was sure those green eyes underneath would be striking.

"He's a handsome devil isn't he?" Kaede asked and Rin smiled and then laughed out loud. She had thought something along those lines, but didn't even think Kaede would be considering that she'd like him.

"But he's full of blood, how can you tell?" Rin asked trying to mask the fact that she found him attractive.

"An attractive man looks good covered in anything," Kaede said and finished rubbing the blood off his arms. She gave out a sigh and rubbed her forehead with her forearm, she looked exhausted.

"Do ye want to clean his face?" Kaede asked.

"Me?" Rin asked pointing at her chest.

"Yeah, I'm exhausted. I've been working on his arms and the blood is dried on his skin, its really hard to get off," Kaede explained. Rin looked from Kaede's outstretched hand to Shippo's unconscious face. She took a deep breath and then nodded and took the wet cloth from Kaede.

Moving over so she was diagonal from Shippo's face she held onto his chin and gently started rubbing his left cheek. Kaede let out a crackling laugh as she watched Rin and Rin sighed.

"What am I doing wrong?" Rin asked moving away from Shippo to sit back on her knees.

"Ye rub that softly and you'll never get done," she said with another crackling laugh.

"But I don't want to hurt him," Rin answered.

"You won't, he's a tough demon and he's asleep," Kaede said.

Rin nodded and bent down towards Shippo's face and grabbed his chin once again before rubbing his left cheek, but this time rubbed harder. The blood stains came out much easier and Kaede nodded in approval before standing up.

"I'll go and get some more clean water to wash that cloth with. Be back soon my dear," Kaede said while getting up and left the hut.

Rin watched her leave before returning to scrubbing Shippo's face. His real face slowly came into view as she removed the blood stains. By the time she was able to clean all of the blood from his face she had moved down so her right arm rested against his chest as support and she rested her cheek on her hand.

She set the cloth down on the floor and closed her eyes, too tired to keep them focused on anything.

Moments later she felt Shippo's chest rise a little higher then it had been and she heard a deep intake of breath. Quickly she pushed off his chest and sat upright just as Shippo opened his eyes.

"Am I dead?" he asked in quiet tired voice before turning his eyes over to Rin. Like she had envisioned his green eyes were striking as he stared into her dark brown ones.

"No, why would you say that?" Rin asked with a gulp hoping he didn't notice that her face was heating up and she had the terrible need to kiss him. It was so unnatural for her to have this kind of pull towards a guy, the only one she ever had was to Lord Sesshomaru.

"You look like what I envisioned an angel would," he answered and Rin let out a little laugh before shaking her head.

"You're not dead and I'm not an angel," Rin said feeling a smile tugging at the side of her lips. His lips spread out into a smile matching her own.

"Could've fooled me," he replied and pushed off the ground to try and sit up, but failed and fell back with a wince.

"I guess I'm not ready for that just yet," he added with a toothy grin, "my name is Shippo, what's yours?"

"Rin," she answered.

"Rin? Oh! Sesshomaru's ward right?" Shippo asked

"Yes, but not anymore. He left me here with Lady Kaede," Rin replied her voice dropping low as she thought of her lord. Her eyes watered slightly and she wanted to cry, but not in front of him.

"Oh I see, I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure he had a good reason to, he's no fool," Shippo stated and Rin couldn't help but beam at him through her tear filled eyes. Anyone who talked well of Lord Sesshomaru was an instant friend to Rin.

"Lord Sesshomaru is a great man," Rin agreed with him. Shippo gave her a once over before a large grin spread across his face.

"Ah I see now why you're here," Shippo said, "you're in love with him aren't you? He must've sensed it and thought it might be dangerous to keep you around"

Rin blushed and looked away, cursing the fact that she wore her heart on her sleeve. Her heart stopped beating when she heard him say that Sesshomaru left her there because he could sense she loved him. Would he really leave her for that? Was her emotions all one sided?

"Don't be so down sweetheart," Shippo said with a wink, "you're pretty enough to get any man, Sesshomaru doesn't know what he's missing,"

Rin smiled wider thinking Shippo got his smooth talking skills from Miroku, but tweaked them a bit. Surprisingly it was working, Rin could feel her heart beat quicken when that grin returned on Shippo's face.

"Look at me, I'm a mess," Shippo observed bringing his arms up to see the blood, "did I get all this from last night?"

"That's what Lady Kaede told me. Do you not remember?" Rin asked in return. He merely shook his head and glanced up at her with a look that shook her to the core. The thought of Shippo not knowing what had happened gave Rin the goosebumps, especially since he was a demon.

She had seen Sesshomaru's demonic side many times, but he had been in control. Rin knew she was safe with him because he could always hold back from harming her when the fighting was done. But a demon who could not control and had no recollection of what happened while in demon form was a ticking time bomb.

"Oh ye are awake, good to see that you're able to sit up," Kaede said moving over the shade that covered the doorway. Rin turned around to look at Shippo to see that he had moved to a sitting position and was very close to her. She hadn't even sensed him move, and she could sense when Sesshomaru was moving.

"It's too bad ye are still covered in blood though. Did Rin get lazy on you?" Kaede asked and smirked when Rin felt her cheeks flush.

"No, she was very nice to me. Besides I can wash all this off myself," Shippo defended and placed a hand on Rin's shoulder before giving it an affectionate squeeze. Rin felt a tingly sensation go through her arm but dismissed it as nerves rather then...something else.

"There's a pond in the back of the hut that you can wash in. I have a couple of towels that Kagome left me folded on a rock out there. I also have a kimono that Inuyasha bought for you that you can change into," Kaede stated handing him a bar of freshly made soap. He nodded his thanks before heading out the door.

"So did he say anything interesting while I was gone?" Kaede asked sitting on her knees next to Rin. She started folding up the sheet that she had placed under Shippo, Rin suspected she wanted to wash the dirty sheet.

"Nothing really. He doesn't remember anything from last night, and he seemed just as shocked as I was when he said it out loud," Rin answered as Kaede gave out a little sigh.

"I knew the boy would be trouble. I knew there was something deeper that was bothering Kagome when she dropped him off here. He had a few scrapes and a lot of blood, but nothing that she couldn't have done on her own. But overcoming a demonic spirit is very hard to do. Every demon has to go through it, as I'm sure Lord Sesshomaru did. It's sort of like demon puberty," Rin looked on the floor thinking of what Sesshomaru might look like out of control. A scary image flashed in her eyes of his silvery hair floating around him wildly and his golden eyes red in rage, with an ugly snarl across his face. She bit her lip to keep the gasp down that was climbing up her throat.

"I believe that Inuyasha had to go through something close to the same thing as well. The only difference is that he is constantly fighting the demon rather then ever being able to grow out of it and control it," Kaede said.

Rin had seen Inuyasha when his demon side took over, and while it was frightening she had been told that Sesshomaru had been able to succumb him without much difficulty. But Sesshomaru wasn't here now, so who would succumb Shippo?

"Don't worry my dear. It won't be as hard as it sounds, there just needs to be some discipline that's all. Once Shippo realizes that he is in control and not the demon he will move out of this phase. It's just the challenge of convincing him," Kaede added.

"Well then I guess your work is already done," Shippo's voice entered the room before he did, and when he did he was toweling his red hair and was wearing a turquoise kimono. Rin would've thought the color should have been kept for women's kimono's, but it really accented Shippo's green eyes and red hair, "I already know I control my demon, and I do. It's just that I have these bursts of power that take over and I lose control sometimes. It's no big deal, whenever it's happened I've ended up doing good and being useful rather than on the sidelines," he added.

Rin had always been on the sidelines, but she had never craved for the action either. She wondered what it might feel like.

"You have been doing good because you're transformation into a man has only begun. You have only felt a chip of your power. And I'm sure your subconscious has been able to control it, so you ended up not hurting anyone innocent," Kaede stated.

"I'm already a man!" Shippo shouted, but then glanced over at Rin before snarling at Kaede and storming out.

"Ugh! Now I'm stuck with two unstable adolescences! All I need is a third!" Kaede exclaimed with her hands thrown up in the air.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hi," Kaede had just moved the hay curtain that was hung in front of her door to see Kohaku standing there.

"Hello," Kaede responded reluctantly.

"Has Sango come this way?" he asked. Since Naraku had been killed he no longer had the power to take over Kohaku, but no one had found a way to remove the shard without killing him. So even though Kohaku wasn't under Naraku's power anymore, a strong enough demon could take control of him at any moment.

Given that Sango had been deliberately avoiding her younger brother, since Inuyasha's group were constantly attacked by powerful evil demons. The only thing was that Sango never told Kohaku that. Kaede figured it was because she wanted him to be happy and not paranoid all the time like he was when Naraku had the ability to control his free-will.

"No I haven't," which was partially the truth, Sango hadn't come by when Kagome and Inuyasha had dropped off Shippo.

"Oh...I see. Well can I stay here until she does?" he asked and Kaede had to hold back from throwing her arms up in frustration. Though she had made that comment about needing a third teenager three years ago, she didn't think it would come back to haunt her. She knew she couldn't tell him no, she could never turn away anyone, but she really really wanted to.

"Of course ye can child. But I must warn you, I already have two others staying here so it may feel a little cramped," Kaede stated and Kohaku smiled.

"The more the merrier Lady Kaede," he said then bowed in thanks. Kaede grimaced slightly while his head was turned but put her smile back on when his gaze came back up to meet hers.

"Please come in and make yourself at home," she stated and pushed back the hay curtain before stepping aside to let him through. Kohaku looked around for a moment before turning back to Kaede.

"Who else is supposed to be here?" he asked in confusion.

"Oh, Rin and Shippo," Kaede replied.

"Well they aren't here,"

"What?!"

(Divider)

Rin was slowing her mount down when she spotted a small flash of red dash towards a nearby bush. She grinned before pulling out her lasso that Kaede had made for her. She was supposed to only use it to catch rabbits, but this was much more fun. Grinding her heels into her horse's sides the stallion took off running. Rising the lasso above her head she started swinging it as she kept her eyes on the red ball of fur making a run for it out of the bushes.

When she thought she was in good range she threw the lasso out and cursed when she missed. She was getting too cocky she thought as she pulled back the lasso and went after her prey. Her mount gave out a frustrated snort as if he were rooting for her too. She smiled and patted his neck as they galloped.

A few moments later the familiar red flash went past her line of vision and she readied her lasso once more. This time she'd be patient, and wait for the opportune moment. Giving her horse an extra kick they spend up until they were level with one another. Making sure her balance was right she moved a little in her saddle before throwing her lasso. Success! The lasso made a perfect landing right around the animals neck and with a tug lost it's balance.

Rin pulled on her horse's reigns until it came to a stop. Then she jumped to the ground with her horse's reigns in one hand and the end of her lasso in the other. The little animal lay motionless on the ground until she got within biting distance then it jerked forward with bared fangs. It gave out a hiss as it stood on shaky legs before it started to transform. Its little paws started to crack and morph into much larger ones while the rest of its body followed suit. It was a slow process, but much more frightening. Its once cute face started to outstretch and its hissing and snarling becoming much louder.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Rin screamed as she pulled on her lasso hard. The creature gave out a creepy giggle but continued to change until it was as big as her. It could now stand on two legs rather then four and held out it's front claws menacingly at her.

"You don't scare me," Rin snarled at it before she pulled at the lasso until her fingers bled. The lasso was taking a while, but it was slowing down the transformation. The tightness of the lasso around the beast's neck was making it hard to get any larger. It wouldn't last forever though, eventually the creature would become big enough to break through the thickness of the rope.

Suddenly something changed, the creature stopped fighting her. Rin stared at it for a moment before pulling on the lasso again, it was too good to be true for the beast to give up yet. As she tugged the creature got closer and closer to her, but did not fight. Soon she started to think that it had given up, and with one last hard tug brought it to the ground.

"Ha! I knew I could beat you," Rin said smugly before going to retrieve her lasso from around the beast's neck. As she went to approach the body the beast gave out another snarl before jumping up with open claws and teeth. Rin let out a shriek before jumping out of the way but got a nasty scratch on her right arm.

"What are you doing? I thought we had a deal that we wouldn't draw blood!" Rin cried out covering her bleeding arm, it was starting to throb. But she knew that it was a waste of time, it was too far gone to hear her voice now. She could tell when it looked into her eyes, its green eyes had changed into a dark red and drool was sliding down it's jaws like it hadn't eaten in days.

Rin gulped before realizing was was happening.

The creature gave out a shriek of pain when something hit it on the shoulder. Rin spotted a weapon that was connected to a chain embedded into the beast's shoulder. Following the chain she saw a man standing a top a small hill. His gaze was just as menacing as the beast's as the two locked eyes and the beast gave out a growl of displeasure. The man yanked his weapon out of the creature's shoulder before pulling it back towards him and twirled it above his head. It looked a lot like Rin did with her lasso, but this was much deadlier.

"No!" Rin screamed with an outstretched hand toward the man, "don't hurt him!"

The man looked down at her for a moment in confusion before something clicked in his mind and his eyes widened.

"Rin?" he asked and Rin squinted to look at him too and realized who he was.

"Kohaku?" she asked in return and he nodded but looked away quickly when the beast gave out another ferocious growl. He raised his weapon about to strike but Rin cried out again for him to stop.

"You can't," she said almost to tears, "that's Shippo,"

Kohaku looked at Rin again in surprise, but released his weapon and it fell lifeless on the ground. Rin let out a sigh of relief for a moment but felt her heart jump to her throat when she heard the sickening sound of rope ripping.

Shippo let out a scream of outrage as his body seemed to get larger at an accelerated rate. Rin's lasso around his neck broke as if it were string. His bones gave out cracks as they grew and his eyes started glowing redder then Rin had ever seen them.

Fear gripped her and she wanted desperately to cry out for help, but knew she couldn't. Sesshomaru's name popped into her head and her lips seemed more then eager to scream them. But he wasn't there. Kohaku wouldn't be much help, not against a demon. Rin had seen his older sister Sango's talent for fighting demons, but even Sango needed a team to take a strong demon down. Kohaku was just one person.

Rin was alone in this, she had to figure out a way to stop Shippo without seriously hurting him. Grasping her still bleeding arm Rin got to her feet with determination in her eyes. She wouldn't back down and cower in front of him, it would only feed the fire stirring in Shippo.

Pulling free of her fear Rin approached the strange hybrid creature, the fox demon. The only thing that reminded Rin that the beast was Shippo was the redness of his fur, the same color as his hair. Though he looked more wolfish then fox, his snout was long and narrow while his fangs reached the bottom of his jaw. Standing on two legs he looked more like a wolf man then any kind of demon Rin had ever seen.

A low growl of warning emitted from Shippo, but Rin kept walking. His growling grew louder and louder the closer she got but Rin didn't falter. She didn't know how much she could do as a human, but she would die trying. She was tired of hiding from things, it was time she faced them head on.

Shippo seemed to sense her determination because his unease seemed to falter for a moment and his glowing eyes stopped glowing. Rin closed her eyes and thought of serene thoughts like open prairies, and the sunset. She wanted to be in control when she faced him, not scared.

Jaken had showed her a trick in dealing with overpowering demons, the best bet was to make a punch for their gut. They'd lose their breath for a moment and fall to their knees, at that time a blow to the head would knock them out.

But when she pulled back her arm to make the punch Shippo moved first. He grabbed her by the waist with his large claws and held her above the ground. Rin let out a shriek, more from surprise then fear, and placed her hands on his head when he looked up at her.

"Shippo, please come back to me!" she screamed as the beast let out a howl of anguish, as if understanding her but having no power in the matter. Suddenly Rin felt her hands getting very warm, and a bright light started to glow around them. Shippo let out a whimper before tossing her aside. Rin landed on her back but didn't put her hands down on her sides. They got hotter and hotter as the white light grew around her hands.

They were little balls of light at first but as her hands got warmer they got larger until they all gathered in her open palms. Suddenly the thought to push popped in her head and without thinking about it, did as her mind said. And with that push the large ball of light turned into a beam and shot straight at Shippo. The demon shrieked in fear and grabbed his face as the light engulfed him.

The light grew more powerful as the shrieks got louder, as if feeding off Shippo. And just as suddenly as the beam appeared from her hands it vanished. As Rin's eyes adjusted from the brightness her hands cooled down. In the line of fire Shippo laid on the ground, but back in his human form. Rin felt tears appear in her eyes as she got up and ran to him.

"Shippo?" she whispered a few feet away from him. Her childhood friend shook a little before slowly pushing himself off the ground. He laid there naked, but Rin had seen him transform so many times that it didn't faze her anymore. Although the transformations to just a fox weren't anything like that. In fact she had never seen him transform into such a...monster.

"Oh my head..." he murmured.

"Rin, stay away from him!" Kohaku called as he ran to her side. Rin had forgotten he was there for a moment and he surprised her.

"He's a blood thirsty demon, you never know what he'll do next!" Kohaku added as he put an arm out in front of her, as if the flimsy limb could protect her.

"He's my friend, he just lost his head for a moment thats all," Rin answered and saw realization appear in Shippo's eyes.

"I lost it?" he asked, "I lost the fight to it again," he added after taking a second look at Rin's face.

"You can't control your demon, and you're living here?!" Kohaku asked in complete shock, "and you're living here too?" he asked looking behind him at Rin.

"I can control my demon! I just can get overpowered sometimes. I'm working on it," Shippo snarled at Kohaku, "now can I go home and get some clothes?" he added rubbing his shoulders as if he were cold.

"I don't think it's such a good idea. I don't know how you've lived here with something like that living inside you. I would've thought the village would run you out," Kohaku stated.

"They have, I just keep coming back," Shippo said with a smile that held no humor in it.

"Stop interrogating him," Rin commanded as she unhooked the poncho Kaede had made for her for the cold and wrapped it around Shippo. He smiled in thanks before wrapping it tightly around himself.

Rin noticed that his eyes stayed glued to her arm, her injured arm. When they locked eyes he was the first to look away and Rin saw traces of guilt, and anger.

"Let's go back to Kaede's hut," Rin stated when the group fell silent. Kohaku took one look at Shippo before turning on his heels and walking away. Rin sighed and bent down to help Shippo up, but he only growled at her and pushed himself up. Rin glared holes in Shippo's back on the way to the hut, angered that he'd get offended by her offering him help.

(Divider)

"My lord, I don't see how doing this would be beneficial. We left Rin there so you wouldn't have to worry about her, so why go see her?" Jaken asked between huffs. His little legs were no match for Sesshomaru's long strides, so he had to run to keep up with him.

"I don't need to explain myself to you Jaken," he merely replied, and that shut him up. Jaken looked nervously at the ground, while still running, and didn't say another word.

Sesshomaru stopped walking for a moment when a familiar scent hit his nose. A mixture of grass and wildflowers, along with a more womanly scent that had recently put Sesshomaru on edge. Rin was very close.

Without a word Sesshomaru climbed a nearby tree until he made it to a strong branch that could support his weight and had enough height so he could scout the area. Jaken followed, but at a much slower pace. By the time Jaken got to Sesshomaru he had spotted Rin and was focused on her.

She had something in a rope, most likely a fox, and was dismounting her horse. He was surprised by her transformation. It had only been three years since he had left her, but she looked like it could've been ten. Her girlish figure had filled out into womanly curves, her awkwardness with her body as a teen seemed to have melted away. She seemed very comfortable with her body, and used every part of it well. He noted with a sense of pride how she had caught the creature. When he had reached his branch first he had seen her little performance and masterful use of her lasso.

Suddenly Sesshomaru sensed a disturbance in the air and his eyes narrowed on the creature in Rin's lasso. It wasn't just any kind of creature, it was a demon. He could hear Rin scream out something, but was too far to make all of it out. He heard "hey" and "cheating" as if it were a game. Sesshomaru noted that Rin hadn't given up on demons, she seemed to have made friends with one.

"That's a demon she's got!" Jaken cried out and Sesshomaru stepped on his head to shut him up. Not tearing his eyes away from Rin, he waited to see what she'd do. He saw her pull her lasso tightly and he could pick up the faint scent of blood. Surprisingly it was slowing down the transfomation, the pain of the lasso must've been distracting the demon from fully transforming. Sesshomaru couldn't be stopped by such a thing, so it must make the demon Rin had a young one. Possibly an adolescent demon, one who didn't know their full potential yet.

Suddenly the demon stopped fighting her and Rin was able to bring it close, he assumed to make a blow to it's head. Rin said something with a smirk and seemed about to make her move but the demon was too fast and made a jump at her. She screamed and jumped out of the way but couldn't get away from it's outstretched claws. Sesshomaru felt his breath stop in his chest when he saw how severe the injury to her arm was. His nose felt flooded with the scent of her blood, the demon had cut deep.

He leaned forward waiting to see what she would do, but ready to jump if she should scream out his name. He felt it in his blood, and could see it on her face. She wanted desperately to call his name, and he even saw her lips open. But then something came over her and she closed them. Sesshomaru looked up into her eyes and saw something, a fire that seemed to burn in them.

This wasn't the Rin he was used to, but the change didn't seem unattractive at all. He knew his eyes could burn like that too, as if the trait had rubbed off on her. Sesshomaru rather liked that idea and couldn't help a slight smirk of pride spread across his face.

Then another's scent entered the area and Sesshomaru looked away from Rin for a moment before spotting a man a top a hill. His eyes widened in surprise before he unhooked his weapon at his hip. He twirled it above his head before letting it loose and it hit the shoulder of the demon.

Rin looked back at whoever threw the weapon and called out a name. Kohaku. Sesshomaru felt anger rise in his chest when he remembered who that name belonged to. Kohaku had attacked Rin when they were children when Naraku had been controlling him.

Though it was a long time ago, at least in human years, Sesshomaru couldn't forgive him for the humanly fear that he rose in Sesshomaru chest when he found him just about to behead Rin. Sesshomaru looked back and forth between the two, but both seemed surprised to see each other. The two disputed for a few moments before Kohaku withdrew his weapon, but readied it when the demon let out a loud growl.

Rin screamed at him and called out another name. This time it was Shippo, and Sesshomaru remembered him as well. But he had only seen him as the terrified stuffed animal like demon he was as a child. This demon looked nothing like a stuffed animal.

Kohaku let his weapon fall to the ground but seemed tense in case the demon should attack. Sesshomaru watched as Rin slowly got to her feet, still holding her bleeding arm. The fire was back in her eyes and she made her way towards Shippo. Sesshomaru wanted desperately to go and kill the demon himself for her, but knew that would be unwise.

When Rin had approached Shippo, she closed her eyes for a moment before trying to make a punch to his stomach. But Shippo moved before she did, grabbed her, and lifted her above the ground.

Rin screamed again and placed her hands on his head. Sesshomaru wasn't sure if she was trying to push away or keep him from biting at her face. Sesshomaru felt his legs grow numb suddenly and he realized he had been crouching in a jumping position. His body seemed more then eager to help Rin, but he knew he couldn't go. He could only hope someone got there before something happened to her.

His thoughts were answered suddenly when a white light emitted from Rin's hands and Shippo threw her away from him. She held her hands out and the light turned into balls before combining and shooting out a beam of white light. Sesshomaru had to squint against the brightness of it but saw Shippo get engulfed by it. Shrieks and whimpers were voiced by the demon as Sesshomaru sensed his form changing back into a humans.

When the light faded away Shippo lay on the ground, naked. Rin took a breath before running over to him. When he got up and bared all of him to her, she didn't flinch or blush. The fact bothered Sesshomaru slightly. He wondered if they were involved, that would explain how comfortable she seemed around his naked form, and how comfortable he was baring it.

He saw Kohaku run down towards the two screaming for her to stay away from Shippo, and that he was dangerous. Sesshomaru glared at the human, of course he was dangerous. Rin had had her share of confrontations with demons, she knew what to do in a dangerous situation.

The three talked for a few minutes before Rin removed her poncho from her shoulders and gave it to Shippo. He covered up as much as he could with it and the three talked more before Kohaku turned and started to leave. Rin bent to help Shippo up but he snarled something at her and got up himself. Sesshomaru glared hotly at the young demon, he should go down there and teach that boy a lesson. No one should ever treat Rin like that, not to mention he injured her!

When the three were out of sight Sesshomaru wanted desperately to follow and see if Rin could find help for her arm, but decided that that was enough for today. He didn't need to get caught up on watching Rin.

"Come Jaken, we're leaving," Sesshomaru stated as he jumped from his branch to the ground. Jaken more or less fell to the ground, very ungracefully.

"Yes my lord," the demon murmured as he got to his feet before making a jog toward Sesshomaru's receding form.

(Divider)


	5. Chapter 5

_Review Corner_

_Rickashay: I'm glad I updated too! This story is starting to grow on me :) _

_Linguistic: Glad you like it! _

(Divider)

"I'm very disappointed," Kaede said with narrowed eyes, "how could ye behave in such a manner with Shippo's condition?" she asked cynically, looking at Rin.

"It's not like it was all her fault, I suggested it," Shippo fought back before returning Kaede's dark look, "and I don't have a 'condition'"

"No matter who's idea it was, one of ye must've seen the consequences in these actions? Rin, you're lucky that this hasn't happened before, and that Kohaku was there this time to save ye," Kaede stated with a smile in Kohaku's direction, but the man was staring through slits at Shippo. Kohaku had been the one to go to Kaede and tell her about the attack.

"It was only a game, and it was a great way for both Shippo and I to practice. I practiced with my aim and lasso and Shippo got to practice on controlling his demon. It had worked out for us these three years. It was only now that it got so bad," Rin tried to explain, but by the shock on Kaede's face it only seemed to make things worse.

"Three years?! That's how long this has been going on? How either of ye are still standing here is an amazement to me. This will end now, do ye understand? I want anymore of this chasing game to continue," Kaede replied sternly.

"Yes Kaede," the two uttered in unison. Both grinned from ear to ear though when they turned towards each other and locked eyes.

Kaede glared at the two before crossing her arms.

"That's it, since I can tell ye won't take what I said seriously I'll have to punish the both of ye. I was sure we had gotten past this years ago, what with Shippo getting run out of town for all the pranks he's done," Kaede added and the two closed their lips and stared at her wide-eyed. But Shippo smirked when she mentioned him pranking the town, he couldn't help it if he had a bad streak in him. Wasn't that how all teenager acted?

"You two will continue on chore duties, but apart from one another. I can see now trying to put ye two together was a mistake. You are not to hang out with one another until a month from today,"

"But-" the two began.

"One month! Do ye want me to make it two?" Kaede asked with a dark grin. Both kept their mouths shut and Kaede nodded in approval. Now that they understood the punishment she could be thankful that they were both alright.

"Both of ye had me so worried when Kohaku can back and told me what had happened. I feel like I've become your mother!" Kaede said with sincerity, "I don't know what I would've done if I had lost either of ye," she added before taking the two into a hug. Though she had to be stern with them, she always wanted to make sure that they knew they were wanted there and that she was still the kind-hearted woman they grew up with.

"Don't think ye will be getting off that easily because I was worried," she whispered to the two and smiled when they both over dramatically groaned.

(Divider)

Rin was saddling up her stallion when Kohaku made his way to her early the next morning. Her stallion had been a gift from Kaede, to help her adjust to a new home. Though Rin was sure she didn't need such an extravagant gift, but of course it didn't hurt.

"Good morning Rin!" Kohaku called with a wave of his hand. Rin pulled a smile and waved back, she was still a little shy around Kohaku. The two knew each other as children, but she really only had the memories of him under Naraku's control. And the bad things that he had done, along with almost kill her.

"What are your plans for today?" he asked merrily. Rin shrugged her shoulder while fastening the saddle around her horse's stomach. Her horse gave out a little grunt and patted the floor with his hoof, but that was normal. Her stallion was a little drama queen.

"Did you fasten that too tight?" Kohaku asked looking at Rin's horse. Rin gave out a little laugh before responding.

"No, he likes to pull that when he wants attention. He's a little drama queen," Rin replied while giving the horse's neck an affectionate pat. He grunted again before gently nipping at her shirt.

"Stop that," Rin laughed as she gently pushed at his snout. Kohaku could only laugh in return. Rin noted that he seemed a little nervous around the animal.

"Do you like horses Kohaku?" she couldn't refrain from asking him. He looked at her horse for a moment before gulping.

"Sure, they're...pretty," he answered with another gulp. Rin could only smile sympathetically at him. She had been scared the first time Kaede had taught her to ride. While Rin had experience riding Ahun, horses felt a bit different. And they didn't fly.

"Do you want to ride with me?" Rin asked, suddenly excited at the idea of teaching someone how to ride.

"Sure, but there aren't any horses left," Kohaku stated. Was that relief she saw in his eyes?

"Yes there is, Lady Kaede has a mare that's the sweetest thing," Rin replied and happily grabbed his hand. She lead him over to the mare's stall and let him take a look at her.

"She's a breeze to ride, and is very easy for even inexperienced riders," Rin stated.

"Is it that obvious?" Kohaku asked in return with a slight blush.

"A little," Rin smiled while Kohaku cringed, "but don't worry, it's easy once you get the hang of it," she added.

Kohaku smiled back before standing up and stretching for a moment.

"It sounds tempting, but I think I'll walk beside you," he replied, and looked very content with the idea. Not wanting to push, Rin only nodded before walking back to her horse. Grabbing the front and back of the saddle she hoisted herself up and settled in.

"Doesn't he need reigns?" Kohaku asked, seeming to note her horse's naked face.

"Only when Lady Kaede's around. She tends to make him nervous," Rin laughed, "but when it's just us he listens to the pull of his mane," she added while gently pulling his mane in the left direction and he obediently turned his head to the left while stepping forward.

Kohaku smiled back at her and gave out a laugh of surprise. Rin assumed he was used to seeing horse's constantly under the hold of reigns, and controlled with a whip.

"Reigns are really only needed when a rider has to be very direct under stressful circumstances," Rin advised, "like hunting, or racing," she added, noting Kohaku's clueless expression.

"Shall we go?" Rin asked after a moment of silence. Kohaku nodded and Rin gently patted her horse's neck signaling him to go. Without pause her stallion pranced out of the small barn like the show off he was.

"My horse's got a personality," Rin defended with a giggle when she saw Kohaku give him a weird look. Kohaku only smiled back at her before they started walking down a paved trail that lead into town.

Kaede had told her to go and get food for the night's dinner, along with more seeds for planting. Her smile fell slightly at the thought, she was so used to doing those chores with Shippo. He was such a prankster, and she loved it. He always made her laugh and made the day go by so much faster. Rin's eyes softened as old memories flooded through her mind.

Shippo had been the real factor in Rin's recovery when it came to being on her own. He's fun loving and aim-to-please personality was a wonderful distraction from thoughts of Rin's old life, and of Sesshomaru. But after three years it changed from a distraction to habit, and then felt like she never lived with anyone else. Rin would find that her days changed from constant thoughts of Sesshomaru to thoughts of what funny thing Shippo had done that day.

Rin knew that she had an attraction to Shippo, but she wasn't sure if it was a sexual pull or just a great connection of personalities. Lover or Friend? The thoughts confused and bothered Rin, she didn't want to ruin what they had, but also didn't want to miss out on what they _could_ have. They made a good match, other then the fact they were different species. But Shippo never made that very evident in their relationship, never made her feel like they were any different. The thought never crossed her mind until she was alone.

"Rin?" Rin snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Kohaku's voice. He was looking up at her with a worried expression before smiling when she looked down at him. They were still walking and were at the outskirts of town. Rin was surprised how fast the trip felt, usually it'd take forever before they got even close.

"I'm sorry about that Kohaku. I was daydreaming. I'm sorry if I bored you," Rin stated but Kohaku merely shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, all the expressions that crossed your face were enough entertainment for me," he grinned and Rin blushed, embarrassed that she was so easy to read.

"Listen, let me do something for you. I'm sure after what happened yesterday you might still be a little traumatized," Kohaku suggested. Rin thought his concern was sweet, but she had gone through much worse. Yesterday was scary, but was a breeze compared to other things.

"No, I'm fine," Rin stated as they approached the market place that was in the middle of town. It was as busy as ever. People were bargaining left and right, trying their best to find the best deal before everyone else did. The market place sold anything you could possibly imagine needing. There was food, clothes, trinkets, building material and tools, and so much more. As they came to a stop in the middle of all the chaos Kohaku extended his hand out to Rin. She ignored it and jumped off her horse to land gracefully next to him.

"Independent are we?" he asked in a teasing manner.

"Maybe," Rin answered with a wink. He laughed as the two started walking close together through the mass of bodies and carts. Her horse kept close as well, grabbing onto Rin's shirt every now and then with his teeth so he wouldn't end up losing her.

Rin went around to different carts for what felt like hours, asking for prices and eying the produce. Kohaku hadn't talked much as they walked, most likely as uncomfortable as she was. Not that it really mattered, Rin wasn't intent on making friends with him. But by his stance and the way he constantly looked at her Rin wondered if he was.

Everyone in town knew Rin, and she knew who were the best sellers, but every week there were always newcomers from nearby towns coming to sell. Sometimes she got lucky and got a better price then from the others she knew. Of course this time wasn't one of them. The new sellers were asking for double what she was used to paying. The thought that these guys were so confident angered Rin, and all the business they were getting bothered her more.

"Why do all this work when you can just buy from the old vendors you know?" Kohaku asked. Rin had explained her system to him a little earlier.

"Well I'm always looking for the best deal. I'd feel like an idiot if I paid more for something that I could've gotten cheaper somewhere else," she answered. Kohaku grinned and lightly teased Rin for being so economical.

Suddenly, a scream came out from in the middle of the mass. Rin and Kohaku both spun around to try and see what was going on and spotted a large group of people backing up from someone. Kohaku and Rin took off in a flash to get a closer look, but lost each other in the crowd. Kohaku was much taller then Rin, so his strides were nearly double Rin's.

Rin tried to reach out to grab his sleeve so not to lose him, but was unable to do so. She was too small to push by people so was stuck behind the crowd. She was able to spot Kohaku's ponytail and saw that he was quite close to what ever was happening.

"What's going on?" Rin asked a villager standing in front of her. He looked at her for a moment before answering.

"Someone fainted in the middle of the crowd. They fell on top of a woman ranting about demons and death," he stated. Rin's eyes narrowed at the thought, demons and death?

"It's probably that damn fox again," someone spat nearby. Rin glared in the direction of the voice but wasn't sure who specifically said it. She hated how humans always blamed whoever was convenient to them. Some demons were bad and deserved such hatred, but Shippo was not one of those demons. Shippo was harmless. His pranks were more childish then dangerous, and never deadly.

"Alright, everyone step back!" Kohaku's voice yelled, "nothing to see hear," he added when nobody moved. Angered murmurs arose in the group, but people began to slowly disperse. Rin was finally able to see Kohaku's form and he spotted her too. He stopped waving people off for a moment to smile at her, but froze when another scream sounded.

Rin covered her mouth to stifle a scream when the person who was lying on the ground got up suddenly. Something wasn't right with him, his body was slightly hovering over the ground. A dark aura started to form around his body and once it engulfed him his body began to stretch. His bones increased and his face began to morph into that of a snake. His arms grew out and became claws, but his legs bent at a weird angle and became one large limb that turned into a thick scaly tail. His neck stretched out until it was as long as a horse and his face pinched out and resembled the look of a snake's head. All of this happened very quickly so no one could really move anywhere when the demon finished it's transformation. The monster was close to the size that Sesshomaru's dog form would be.

"Demon!" someone shouted. Just as that person screamed the demon let out a loud screech and opened its mouth wide to show off its large fangs. Rin's eyes widened as she looked down to Kohaku to see that he hadn't moved at all, and that he had no weapon. Rin wanted to scream to get his attention and make him move, but that would draw the attention of the demon as well. Luckily it didn't seem to notice him because of all the movement from the other villagers. People were screaming and running to find shelter and all the chaos seemed to please the creature.

It's big green eyes followed the little humans back and forth as they ran, and seem distracted by them. Rin wished she knew what she could do to get Kohaku away from the monster and stop it from recking the village.

Suddenly there was a faint sound of yelping and high pitched growling from nearby. Rin looked around for the source before seeing a fox by the side of the road. It was crouched down with it's ears pressed against its head, fangs bared. Rin watched it for a moment as it kept yelping and growling at the snake demon before she realized who it was.

"Shippo! Come here!" she called out as quietly as she could. The fox's ears perked up and it turned its head to look at her. He stood up straight, and kept staring at her, but didn't come any closer. Rin motioned with her hands to come but he still didn't move.

"Shippo...please," Rin answered with a plea and the fox took one last look at the demon before reluctantly walking over. As he made his way closer to her he morphed into his human form. Rin waited for a moment for him to get used to the new body before speaking.

"You have to call on your demon," Rin stated staring into his eyes with as much pleading and understanding as she could. Pleading because she knew how reluctant he was to use his demon, and understanding because she knew just how dangerous calling on it would be. His body tensed up as he stared back and his eyes narrowed but he said nothing.

"You have to Shippo, you have to to save Kohaku and the village," Rin added feeling her eyes start to water when the expression on his face didn't change.

"You know I can't Rin. Not after what I did to you," he answered and his eyes darted to her injured arm before returning to her face.

"But you won't be fighting me, you'll be fighting that," Rin answered pointing to the snake demon, who coincidentally was still distracted by the other humans. Shippo's gaze fell and his shoulders relaxed but Rin saw them shake for a moment before he looked back at her.

"I can't risk it Rin. I don't want to hurt you ever again," he stated and Rin noted the streaks of tears that coated his face as he said it. She realized just how much Shippo cared for her, and it took her breath away. Rin bit her lip as her last attempt to keep herself from crying too, and pulled a smile.

"You won't, I know you won't," Rin whispered with teary eyes that blurred her vision. She took him into her arms and held him close to her, not caring that she was pressed up against bare skin. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and she nestled her head in his chest. His hands went around her shoulders and he squeezed them tightly before letting them go and pushed her gently away.

Rin looked up at him and wanted to ask what he was going to do, but got her answer when he shut his eyes and opened them again to show glowing irises.

Rin took a few steps back as his form began to morph, but this time it was much more graceful. His body didn't break and become disproportional like last time. This time it was a swift change and his arms and legs grew out to the same length so he looked more beast then man. His face narrowed and pointed outward as it was covered in red fur, resembling the little creature he fancied turning into.

But this form was much more intense, intimidating, and beautiful. His eyes had changed to a golden glow that covered his whole eye and gave his demon form a wild presence. His hands had balled into fists and connected before becoming paws, along with his feet. His whole body soon was covered in the red hair of a fox and he gave out a war cry when it was over. His height matched the snake demon's and Rin saw with delight that it look terrified. But it soon recovered and made a lunge for Shippo's front leg.

He skillfully, for such a size, jumped upward so the snake's strike missed its mark and took the chance to bite down on the vulnerable spot on top of its neck. The snake gave out a shriek in pain but pushed off the ground with its two arms and was able to flip the fight. Shippo fell backward onto the ground and the snake demon coiled it's long tail around his body and neck.

Shippo gave out yelps and tried his best to claw at the demon's face, but its body was too long and his paws were out of reach. Its tail around Shippo's body tightened and Shippo's yelps grew louder and more desperate before his paws started to fall back. He was losing a lot of air and his gold eyes dimmed back down to their natural green. Shippo was giving up.

Rin grabbed her mouth to cover her screams as she thought frantically of what to do. She couldn't let him die! She wanted to scream and cry at the same time, but too freaked to do either. Once she saw his face turn to the side with closed eyes Rin believed it was over.

A loud howl sounded in the distance and Rin whirled around just in time to see a large white form leap over a row of houses to land on top of the two large demons. It bit into the snake's neck and shook it wildly as it's claws dug into its tail that was suffocating Shippo. The snake hissed and tried to fight back but the angle that the large creature had on its neck prevented it from moving too much. Rin assumed the attacker had broken it's neck and the demon was slowly dieing, but still trying to put up a fight.

Rin gave out a breath of relief when she saw Shippo take in a large gulp of air before the golden hue returned to his eyes. With a swiftness too quick for Rin to see he had jumped to his feet and ripped the snake's body in half. The half that was holding him fell to the ground in a heap of dead flesh.

Rin thought that this meant everything was well again, but felt a new wave of worry wash over her when she saw Shippo turn those glowing eyes to the white creature. Shippo was going to fight the being that had saved him!

"No!" Rin screamed as she ran forward to try and stop the deadly battle. The white demon growled at Shippo, but did not lash out and attack. Rin assumed it was warning him that a fight would be a bad idea. Shippo growled back making sure to pull his lips back to bare his fangs at his opponent. Rin ran to his side and grabbed a hold of one large red leg.

"Shippo stop! You won already!" Rin screamed up at him. He turned his eyes down towards her before baring his fangs at her and growled. Rin took in a large breath believing with all her might that he wouldn't hurt her. It didn't seem to help because he bent his head down with another deadly growl and mouth gaping wide.

Luckily the white demon was there to save her and bit into Shippo's muzzle stopping him. The distraction stopped Shippo's attack towards her and he growled at the creature before starting to lunge at him.

Rin remembered the feelings she felt the day before when she was able to stop Shippo's demon before. The sunset and peaceful thoughts entered her mind and she relaxed for a moment completely taken in. Movement around her stopped as well and she was able to finally feel that power from before. Her hands burned and a white light lit her palms and she forced the power to move from her to Shippo. He stopped mid-step and looked down at her before his eyes turned back to green and he let out an exhausted breath before collapsing onto the ground. He didn't tun back to his human form, but seemed harmless enough unconscious on the ground.

Once Rin was sure Shippo was going to be fine she looked over to their savior. After taking a good look at the large white creature and it's red eyes her own eyes widened and her lips trembled.

"Lord...Sesshomaru?"


	6. Chapter 6

_Review Corner_

_Rickashay: Thanks for the review! I've noticed that you've reviewed more then once too! :) it's always nice to see a familiar face!_

_Vampire Hunter D's girl: sorry it's been so long, but I'll try to submit more chapters for you!_

_Nyoko-tan: Aww that's so nice! Glad you love my story! :)_

_Kimko-chan: haha sorry I didn't know how else Sesshomaru would say Rin got her period other then "womanly cycle" it sounded the most polite way to say it!_

(Divider)

Rin stood awe-struck at the demon before her, it had been so long since she had seen her lord in his true form. She remembered that it had been beautiful, but seeing it in the flesh amplified that fact. Those cold eyes that caused fear to run up even the strongest man's spine had no affect on Rin. Rather a large smile spread across her face and she had the urge to cry. He had saved her life like he always had when she was in danger during their travels. For a moment Rin forgot that she had even left his side at all.

Rin took a few steps forward (minding the dead corpse of the snake demon) and reached out her hand towards Sesshomaru. The red glow in his eyes faded and those gold tinted orbs that had haunted her dreams returned and Rin's smile widened. The world around her slowly faded out until it was only her and Sesshomaru, like it had always been.

The sound of a scream broke Rin out of her trance and she looked over to see a woman holding on tightly to a young boy who was staring and pointing at Sesshomaru. His mouth was a gap, as if too afraid to get it to work.

Rin turned towards the rest of the crowd and noted that everyone else had the same sort of horrified expression on their faces, all staring straight at Sesshomaru.

Rin remembered having this same sort of experience when she was led away by a demon and housed in a cave with several other human children. They had all been terrified of the demon while Rin was the only calm child. She wasn't afraid of demons, not after traveling with Sesshomaru. She loved him then. It had been more of a childish love, given that he was her provider and protector, but love nonetheless.

"Rin!" she turned at the sound of her name and saw Lady Kaede standing a fair distance from them armed with her bow, arrow arched.

"Come away from him child, the demon is dangerous," she stated and Rin laughed lightly at her silliness.

"No Lady Kaede, this is Lord Sesshomaru! He's not dangerous," Rin replied with a smile towards her lord. The demon only stared at Kaede with calculating eyes, and even growled a little back at her.

"I know who he is. Come over here now," she ordered in the tone she had used almost regularly when Rin had misbehaved years ago. Rin looked at her for a moment in confusion before looking back at Sesshomaru. His dog form turned away from her before he huffed and closed his eyes. Rin didn't know what she should do, Lady Kaede was her provider and her mentor but Sesshomaru was...Sesshomaru.

"Rin," Kaede called again, this time much sterner. Rin stood in between, unsure of either. Sesshomaru's head moved down towards her and his snout pressed against her back giving her a light push towards Kaede. Rin heard the crowd suck in their breath when he had gotten close and touched her. Rin turned and looked into Sesshomaru's big eyes (they were nearly as big as her) and made her eyes voice that she desperately wanted to go with him. He stared back and although he didn't say anything Rin could tell that he understood.

Before she could stop herself she grabbed a hold of as much of his snout as she could in a fierce hug. It only lasted a second, for if Rin held onto him any longer she didn't think she could ever let go. Once she did let go though, she swiftly turned around and walked towards Kaede. The priestess nodded in approval before releasing the pressure she had on her bow. She put the bow behind her shoulder and held the arrow in her right hand.

"We must get Shippo back to my hut. Kohaku, go fetch some clothes for him, he'll be turning back into his human form soon," Kaede told the demon slayer. He nodded and hurried away. When all went silent again Kaede glared at the gawking crowd.

"The fight is over, it is safe for ye all to leave now," she informed them. A few people took the opportunity of temporary safety and sprinted away while others lingered, but another glare from Kaede scared the rest of them away.

When all the villagers were gone Sesshomaru turned into his human form, somehow having the power to generate clothes. Though Rin had never seen him transform back into a human in their travels she had assumed he had clothes lying around somewhere.

As Sesshomaru approached the two women Kohaku sprinted back to the group with Shippo's clothes. Just in the nick of time as well, since that's when Shippo seemed to unconsciously decide to turn back into a human. Kohaku rushed over to him and handed the demon his clothes to cover his nakedness. Shippo nodded to Kohaku in thanks before slipping them on. Rin saw him take a quick look around at the damage before his jaw tightened. She could tell that he was angered at himself for losing control to his demon, again.

He spotted Rin and smiled but it fell slightly when he saw who was standing next to her. Rin heard Sesshomaru growl and saw the dog demon take a step towards her and wondered if Shippo was still a threat. The younger demon only stared back, but didn't growl in return. Thankful that there wasn't going to be another fight on her hands Rin looked up at Sesshomaru.

"Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru," he looked down at her but didn't respond. She wanted to know what drove him to suddenly appear, but knew that he wouldn't tell her. He never liked giving out reasons why something was to her, it always just was. But she was grateful that he had come.

"Let's go back to my hut, there we won't have to worry about prying eyes," Kaede suggested and turned a sharp eye towards one of the village boys who had been hiding behind a food stand. He shrunk away from view and Rin peeked over the stand to see him running quickly away, most likely from Kaede's wrath. Even though she was old and human, Kaede sometimes could be more terrifying than a demon.

(Divider)

"My lord, ye cannot just come here for a short time and expect to leave whenever ye wish! What will Rin think?" Rin, Shippo, and Kohaku were presently pressed against the door that shielded the priestess and dog demon from view to hear what was transpiring between the two. Lady Kaede had insisted on talking to Lord Sesshomaru alone, but the three couldn't resist putting their ears to the door and listening in.

"I merely came because I sensed Rin was in danger. She is used to me leaving for long spans of time," was Sesshomaru's cold response. Rin looked to the ground and felt her heart skip a beat. She had selfishly hoped that he had come to take her with him, or better yet stay with them.

"Don't ye remember that talk we had last time? I told you that Rin should never see ye lest she have the desire to travel with you again. And my words were right, I saw it in her eyes today when she recognized you. She will most likely morn your departure much like she had when ye dropped her at my doorstep three years ago," Kaede explained with disapproval, " I also warned ye that the next time you showed your demon face here I'd treat you like an enemy. If Rin hadn't been there I would've purified you," she added, the threat dripping venom in her voice. The three eavesdroppers felt a cold sensation crawl up their spines. Sesshomaru gave out a dark laugh.

"Like your petty priestess powers could do anything to me. It seems you forget who I am," he responded.

"Don't underestimate my powers demon. I'm doing this deed for Rin's sake, not yours," she warned.

Silence filled the room, but Rin was sure her lord was piercing her mentor with his deadliest glare.

"Get rid of the fox demon," he said suddenly and Rin noted Shippo stiffen next to her.

"What? But he is Kagome's child...of sorts. She loves him dearly, I would never turn him away because of a jealous lord," Kaede responded.

"I am not jealous of him. He is a danger to Rin, he cannot control his demonic power. He nearly ate her earlier," Sesshomaru pointed out. Rin looked over to Shippo and saw him turn away with angered eyes. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. Rin wanted to make sure that he knew no matter what, she wasn't frightened of him and she never would be. Shippo was her best friend, she wouldn't let something like demon puberty get in the way of that. He looked down at their joined hands before slightly smiling.

"I haven't known of his loss of control until recently. Besides Rin is very fond of him, ye wouldn't want to make her suffer through a separation from _two_ men she loves do ye?" Kaede asked and Rin felt her face go crimson. How could Kaede just come out and _say_ that?

"Fine, just watch him. Your troubles won't stop when his puberty stage finishes, once he does have control he'll start noticing Rin's scent. He'll end up being overwhelmed," Sesshomaru replied and Rin's eyes widened. Could it have been her scent that had driven Sesshomaru away from her?

"A horny demon is much easier to deal with then one who cannot control his demon," Kaede answered and it was Shippo's turn to blush. Rin held a hand over her mouth, but that only served to slightly muffle her giggles.

"It isn't that easy," Sesshomaru growled sarcastically and Rin was sure his left eyebrow was probably twitching, "demons' needs are much different then humans'. Human males may have the desire to be with a woman, but demon males have the _need_. It's much harder to bottle down and control. Mating sometimes turns violent, and seeing that Rin is a human he could end up killing her. Rin will be in much more danger with him around," he explained.

"Will Shippo be like that towards any female?" Kaede asked and Rin saw with a smirk that Shippo's face turned an even darker red.

"Maybe initially. Every demon has his own...taste in women, much like a human male has. But it has to do more with scents then anything, when a female is ready to conceive she gives off a certain scent. Depending on age and health the scent will either be strong or faint. In Rin it is very strong, but it most likely became even stronger because my scent was all over her. Traveling with me gave her that, my scent is mainly gone, but now the fox's scent is all over her," Rin was surprised when she heard him growl out the word "fox" and Shippo's face suddenly became serious before he emitted a light growl.

"So what if Rin doesn't have the scent that Shippo likes? Then this wouldn't be an issue at all," Kaede responded, and was met with silence.

"Believe me priestess when I say that Rin's scent is _very_ strong. I can smell her a mile away, and that's before I can even sense her. Most demons we've come across in our travels had just as much if not more trouble controlling themselves around her. Until she mates with either a human or a demon she will constantly be in danger," Sesshomaru warned, his voice low and menacing.

"I will protect her here my lord. She won't ever be in such a situation. Shippo cares for Rin very much, I'm sure he'd find it in him to stop if it wasn't what she wanted," Kaede replied and Rin heard Sesshomaru growl at her, as if repulsed by the idea.

"She is my ward, I will not hear of such things," he ordered.

"Wasn't the purpose of leaving Rin with me supposed to help her move on from ye? How selfish my lord, you've already taken away her childhood and now ye want to control her even though ye no longer want to be in her life? Think of Rin's welfare, with Rin in a human village she can live a peaceful life. She can have suitors, get married, have child-"

"Enough," he interrupted. His voice got slightly louder and even the three outside could feel the demonic energy that had started to circle the room.

"No, with all due respect my lord, ye must know what you do to the child. She cried for months before going in and out of depression! Though Shippo helped her through it she could never truly forget ye. Now ye appear right after she started to make a break through," Kaede replied sternly.

"I will not sit here and get lectured by you," Sesshomaru growled and the three heard rustling before footsteps made their way to the door. The three eavesdroppers hurriedly jumped away from the door and found something interesting to do in the room. Such as pick at a splinter on the wooden floor, look out the window, or play with their hair. (I'll let you guys guess who did what :P)

Sesshomaru slid the door open and stood at the doorway looking the two men in the eye before his eyes landed on Rin. By the stern look of disapproval on his face all three could tell that he knew they had been there the entire time. Rin closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry, before opening them again and flashing Sesshomaru a sheepish smile much like she had done in the past when she had known she had done something wrong. His features relaxed for a moment before he replaced his cold mask and walked out of the hut, not looking back. Once he was gone from view Rin started to cry.

(Divider)

"My lord, if I may point out, you have been very merciful lately. May I ask if it has anything to do with seeing Rin?" Jaken asked from his perch on Ahun's back. It had been a couple of days since Sesshomaru came back from the village where he had dropped off Rin. Though he had found it somewhat pleasurable to see her again, Sesshomaru would never admit to that having an affect on his actions. A mere mortal could never have an affect on someone like him.

What Jaken said rang true though, which puzzled Sesshomaru. After he had dropped off Rin he had noted a significant change in his battle style. When traveling with her he would kill those that were a danger to her, but if merely passing through he would only intimidate his foe. After she had gone he no longer wanted to just let those who were in his way live, he wanted blood. He had gone on a blood rampage and killed humans and demons a like, whoever would challenge him were far from safe from his wrath.

But after seeing Rin, killing everyone who crossed his path seemed overrated and took too much effort. He had gone back to just intimidation, a strange fact that he had decided to ignore. He turned over to Jaken and saw that he still awaited an answer.

"Why do you ask such stupid questions?" he huffed and the toad demon jumped off Ahun's back to fall to his knees in a deep bow.

"Pl-please forgive me! It's not my place to ask such things from you, my lord!" he exclaimed. Sesshomaru merely ignored him and turned away to stare off towards the horizon. He was curious how Rin was faring back at the human village. He could smell the tears that were ready to fall when he had turned to leave only hours before.

Though they were petty emotions it always pained him to see Rin upset. Even in the most menial situations, such as when she get mud on his pants after playing with Ahun as a child. She had immediately given Sesshomaru a welcoming hug when he returned from hunting, not thinking that she was covered in mud. She had burst into tears and wouldn't speak to Sesshomaru for days, but the mud hadn't bothered Sesshomaru in the least. He only needed to get Jaken to clean it, and yet it had caused Rin to get upset.

But Rin was no longer a child, and he could tell that this time it seemed to affect her much more than usual. An image of her face on the verge of tears flashed in his memory and he felt a slightly pang of remorse for causing such a reaction. He contemplated going back, just to check that she was alright, but stopped himself. This was the main reason why he hadn't wanted to see her, it would stir the protective side of him. He had to realize that she needed to move on from him, so why did the thought bother him so much? Was it because she promised him that she'd stay with him forever?

"Jaken, we are going," Sesshomaru stated calmly. The toad demon nodded vigorously as he grabbed for Ahun's reins before following quickly behind him. They had to get further away from the village, maybe then thoughts of Rin would cease.

(Divider)

Rin covered her eyes embarrassed by the fact that everyone saw her in this weak state. She had assured both Shippo and Lady Kaede multiple times that she had gotten over Sesshomaru leaving her there. But this outburst spoke otherwise, and she saw the pity in their eyes when they looked at her.

Shippo even gathered her in his arms and held her for a minute or two after Sesshomaru's departure. While it wasn't as good as it would've been if Sesshomaru had been the one holding her, it still felt nice. Even Kohaku seemed at a loss for words, while he looked mildly uncomfortable among practical strangers Rin saw that he too seemed to feel sorry for her.

The past couple days Rin tried her hardest to prove that she was alright. Rather than sulk in her room like she wanted to she worked extra hard in the fields and in the market place when she sold crops. That the others were astonished at her behavior was an understatement. The hard work even helped null the pain a little, but just a little.

One the fourth day of Sesshomaru's departure Rin was working in the fields when she stood and rubbed her forehead with her arm, removing the sweat that had coated her there. Luckily she had planted all that she had meant to, and in under a day! Kaede had told her that it would take a least a couple days, but Rin was a hard worker. She stretched her arms above her head and felt very accomplished with herself. She loved being helpful, and she loved being needed somewhere.

Suddenly a loud yip was heard from across the field and Rin squinted her eyes to see a small form standing there looking at her. In a flash the little creature made it to her and gave her it's cutest face. A large grin spread across Rin face as she graciously took the small wild flower from the little fox's mouth.

Shippo rubbed his furry head against her leg and made a few more yips as Rin brought the flower to her nose and smelled it. The heavenly scent soothed Rin and she took in the short feeling of complete relaxation. She had forgotten about her love of flowers. There weren't too many wild flowers around the village. Rin realized that Shippo must've traveled a great distance to find one and bring it to her. The thought touched Rin and she bent down to give him an affectionate pat on the head.

He gave her a foxy grin and jumped into her squatting lap. Rin was surprised for a moment and fell back on her butt. She blinked a couple of times in surprise before the comical idea caused Rin throw back her head and start laughing. She could feel the laugh start in her stomach and then coarse through her entire body as she shook with the intensity of that laughter. Shippo stared at her bewildered, well, as bewildered as a fox _could _look.

"Thanks Shippo," Rin said between giggles when her laughter finally started to die down, "I needed that," she added while getting to her feet. Shippo jumped off her lap when she got up and followed her as she started to walk out of the field, still looking bewildered.

(Divider)

The two had been walking for some time. Rin knew that she should return to Kaede soon, but couldn't bring herself to walk in the direction of the hut. Shippo had been following close behind, still in his little fox form. Rin looked down at him and was curious why he favored the little form, it wasn't very intimidating and because he was so small he couldn't travel very fast.

"Shippo..." Rin murmured the demon's name. The fox's ears perked up and he turned his head to look up at her.

"Do you think...that I'll ever be able to see Sesshomaru...without feeling anything for him?" she asked as her voice got quieter with each word she uttered. Though she loved her lord she knew that he must not feel the same way or he would not allow her to suffer so much. The inevitable truth was Rin needed to move on. She was tired of hurting...so tired.

The little fox cocked his head to the side before he was engulfed in green flames and suddenly the human version stood there. But the thing that baffled Rin the most was that he was fully clothed!

"Shippo! You're not-you're not-" Rin stuttered in complete surprise.

"It's my new trick," he beamed at her, "do you like it?" he had been able to create the basic kimono that Inuyasha had given him, but it was a lighter color. And he had a white undershirt underneath making it look a lot like Inuyasha's outfit, except blue instead of red. He gave her a big grin and a thumbs up while his other hand went through his hair, messing up his already messy short red hair.

"I think it looks wonderful!" Rin exclaimed as she clobbered him with one of her childish hugs. The two fell to the ground in a fit of giggles and sprawled limbs. Rin felt her spirits soar and realized that Shippo had probably planned it from the beginning. He always knew how to lift her spirits and make her laugh. Rin realized then that she loved Shippo. Whether it was a best friend kind of love or a lover kind of love, she didn't care.

"I wish we could laugh like this forever," Shippo stated after the two had ceased laughing. They both laid on their backs facing the sky, and Rin turned her head sideways to look up at him. He didn't look at her, just kept those green eyes to the sky, and seemed to be someplace else. Rin still couldn't believe that this was the same Shippo she had seen clinging to Kagome and barely brave enough to enter a fight. If someone had seen him passing by she'd bet anything that they'd have no idea they were the same person.

"I still can't believe you've changed so much since we first met," Rin stated as she sat up and looked down at him. He turned his eyes to the left to look at her and Rin was instantly hit with the likeness those eyes had with Sesshomaru's cold ones before he pulled a smile and they brightened.

Rin sometimes would forget that Shippo was even a demon. Images from a couple days ago played in her head of his large fox-like form. He had been about the same size as Sesshomaru, and had even challenged him! Could this mean that maybe Shippo was just as powerful as her lord?

"I'm sure the old me is still in here somewhere," he grinned and Rin smiled back before running her hand through his hair playfully.

"Hey!" he cried and grabbed her arm to stop her play. She grinned back before pushing off the ground and pulling him up with her.

"C'mon, Kaede will be worried if we stay too long," Rin stated and stuck her tongue out at him as the demon growled at her, but continued to smile.

(Divider)

That night Rin couldn't seem to sleep. After Sesshomaru's warning a few days before Kaede had given Rin her own room, since she was worried that Shippo may give in to his demonic urges if they remained close to one another. Rin missed his company terribly.

Rin had actually never slept alone before, at least for the majority of her life. After meeting Sesshomaru she had always slept under his watchful gaze, then when he left her in the human village Kaede slept near her, and finally when Shippo came he slept close enough that she could reach out to him if she had a nightmare.

Now being in a separate room Rin felt vulnerable and lonely. She pulled the covers close to her face and tried to will herself to fall asleep, but a nagging feeling kept her awake. A feeling that she shouldn't go to sleep just yet.

"Rin," Rin's ears almost didn't pick up the whisper, but because she was wide awake she shot up in her futon to find the source of that voice. At first Rin couldn't see anything, the room was too dark, but after her eyes adjusted she saw the low glow of gold eyes from across the room. He took a step forward and his silver hair was bathed in moonlight.

"Lord Sesshomaru," Rin greeted after she had taken a deep breath. She admitted that she was a little confused why she was seeing so much of him lately, not that she was complaining. He looked around her room and Rin took the time to study him. Though just as beautiful as he always was he looked stressed, tired. Rin had no idea what could possibly bother her lord, he was practically invincible!

Once he seemed satisfied with his tour of the room he walked over to her side and gently cupped his hand around her left cheek, minding his claws. Rin's mouth opened slightly in shock at the sign of affection for her, this was hardly the cold lord she remembered. She didn't hesitate to place her hand on top of his and lean her head into his palm.

"I missed you," she whispered, closing her eyes. She was too frightened to see the look of disapproval that would pull his lips down into a frown and darken his golden irises. She waited to hear him huff or tell her to not say such stupid things, but she was met with silence.

Sesshomaru removed his hand from her cheek and wrapped both his arms around her shoulders. The next thing Rin knew she was pressed against his chest in a strong embrace. She didn't waste time being surprised by his actions, and slid her hands up his back and rested them at his shoulder blades.

"We cannot be," she heard him murmur as he rested his chin a top her head. She felt her eyes start to water and held onto him a little tighter.

"I know. You hate humans," she answered burying her head in his chest wishing that he could somehow make an exception for her. But she knew she couldn't be that lucky. She felt his hold on her shoulders tighten and felt a light touch on the top of her head. She realized after a moment that he had kissed her there.

"Do you remember what you told me as a child?" he asked, his level tone never wavering.

"That I would never leave your side," Rin answered without hesitation.

"Yes. You give me peace and torment me at the same time," he whispered and Rin looked to the side remembering that he had said her scent was very powerful.

"I would wish for you to stay with me for the remainder of your human life, but that would be unfair to you. We could never mate, you would have to watch me marry another," Sesshomaru explained and Rin felt her body start to shake. She wanted so badly to say that she could handle all that so long as she was with him, but knew her love for him was too strong to feign feeling nothing when he did marry.

"So why come to me tonight, my lord?" Rin asked wanting desperately to push him away and be alone. Did he have no heart at all to sense how much she suffers for him, for the love she has for him?

"To let you know that...I care," he admitted. Rin's eyes watered and she grabbed a hold of his shirt when she started to feel him pull away. She didn't know what to say, or how she could cope with him leaving again. He had been her whole life, and he still was.

"Please don't go," she begged.

"I have to go," Sesshomaru replied levelly as his hand came up to rest on the top of her head. Rin's head turned slowly upward as she locked eyes with him.

"Then take me with you. I'm only happy when I'm with you," Rin stated truthfully.

"Rin..." he murmured, and he removed his hand from her head to cup her cheek again. Rin gulped slightly at all the physical contact, her lord had never show such affection before. What could it mean?

"Demon!" Kaede's voice shrieked. Sesshomaru's hand instantly fell from Rin's cheek as he turned his head to face the priestess. Rin turned to stare at her mentor in shock, while Sesshomaru didn't seemed surprised at all to see her. She had on a white nightgown and was armed with her bow and arrow. She had it aimed at Sesshomaru's heart and a pink aura was already starting to form around the tip of her arrow.

Rin stared back at Sesshomaru and saw that he seemed to find her challenge..._funny_. A smirk played across his face and his eyes started to turn a dark shade of red.

"Do you find this wise priestess?" he asked, his enlarged fangs easy to see from behind his lips as he spoke.

"Leave the girl be. Don't you think she's had enough of your games?" Kaede stated bitterly. He only glared back at her and his irises slowly began to turn green. If Rin didn't do something he'd attack Kaede! While Rin knew never to interrupt her lord when he addressed another, this time she had to. Kaede may not be her favorite person in the whole world, but she had taken good care of her.

"Please Lord Sesshomaru," she whispered and waited until he looked down at her before continuing, "don't do this. Lady Kaede has only been good to me," his demonic aura lessened at her request, and his eyes even reverted back to their golden hue.

"Lady Kaede, please, put your weapon down," Rin pleaded once she was sure Sesshomaru had calmed down. The elderly priestess stared at the couple in complete surprise. When Rin had looked at her she had already lessened the pressure on her bow.

"Rin, my child, only suffering will come if ye stay with him. Please do not go, your place is here, with other humans. With people who _love_ and _care_ for you," Kaede stated and outstretched her hand to her, "nothing that a _demon_ can give you," she added and sent Sesshomaru a disapproving glare.

"But I can't...I can't live without him," Rin answered, and stared at Sesshomaru once she finished. He stared back at her with cold eyes, but she was used to that. It was what she wanted.

"Sesshomaru, what do you feel?" Kaede hurriedly asked, "do you feel the same about Rin?"

Rin felt her chest tighten as she looked at Sesshomaru, waiting for some sort of emotion to cross his face. But she saw nothing, absolutely nothing.

"I do not need to explain myself to you," he replied keeping his thoughts well hidden under his cold mask. The only hint Rin got that he cared at all was that his right arm wrapped around the small of her back and held her close.

"Please leave Rin here. She belongs with humans, and she deserves a good happy life, don't you agree?" Kaede asked Sesshomaru. The demon fell back a little at that, and tightness of his arm on Rin's back lessened.

"But my life is only good if Lord Sesshomaru is in it!" Rin exclaimed, not caring how childish she sounded. She hated the years she had to be apart from him, she couldn't handle it again.

"Have you bewitched the child Sesshomaru?" Kaede asked suddenly and sounded like she was accusing him of it.

"She does as she wishes," he replied levelly.

"If ye care at all about her, leave her here. Ye both live in different time cycles, she will die in less then a hundred years, barely a day in the life of a demon," Kaede stated.

"Lady Kaede!" Rin exclaimed, upset that she wasn't on her side. If Sesshomaru cared for her he should take her with him!

"I will return," he suggested.

"Fine, you may return and see her. But do not take her with you, ever," Kaede replied. Rin felt her heart beat quicken when Sesshomaru's arm fell from around her and he stood up. A moment later he was gone, again.

"Why?" Rin murmured, "why Lady Kaede?" she asked again, louder this time so the priestess could hear her.

"For both of ye. There would be no way that you could possibly get over him without being separated permanently," she answered.

"Though I am upset he came when ye were alone, unlike the last time," she added sounding very bothered. Rin only cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"A few weeks after he dropped ye off with me three years ago he appeared at your bedside. You had just finished crying over him and fast asleep. I remember hearing rustling and turned in my bed to see him next to you. I told him then to never come back, and that his actions would only increase your pain from the separation. I also threatened that if he ever did come I would treat him like the enemy and kill him," she explained.

"So that's why you acted the way you did in the square," Rin answered in a murmur.

"Aye," she replied.

"He is my whole world Lady Kaede, I don't know if I can handle just seeing him every once in a while. I'd want to see him all the time...or not at all," Rin added the last part a little hesitantly, but knew it was true.

(Divider)

_Whew! That was a long chapter. But don't worry I'll have a new chapter up soon! Promise! _


	7. Chapter 7

_K I'm sorry I haven't updated in a long time! But I got really busy and was updating my other story "no work and all play" but I promised I'd write more and I did! Aren't you proud?! _

_Review Corner_

_Krazi3-AnimeLover: glad you like it :) here's your update!_

_Inu Daughter17: thanks for the review, here's more for you! _

_Rickashay: aw one of your favorites? That's so sweet :] thanks for the review!_

_XxSesshomaruloverxx: Glad you thought it was awesome! :D Hope this chapter is awesome too!_

_Kana117: thanks, glad you like it so far! I thought this twist would make things more interesting lol here's your update! Hope you like it!_

_SesshomarusPegasus: I love loyal readers! Glad you're one of them!! Keep reading and reviewing!_

_Hattaru: glad you like it! And I love hearing that I have Sesshomaru in character! I feel like he's such a complex character and love whenever I nail him (figuratively of course lol!). _

_CutieSOS: haha you again?! Just kidding, I love your reviews! :] hope this chapter is amazing too!_

_..Cullen: Haha here's the next update!! I love the caps btw ;) makes me think you REALLY like my story :P. Keep it up!_

_Kawaiiprinces93: aw I like that you like my ShippoXRIn kinda idea. It was so random when I thought about it, but after a while I thought it could be really cute! Thanks for the review! _

_SesshRin devoter: ah loyal reader and reviewer! I love you!! Haven't seen you in a while! Glad to see so many reviews from you :] it makes me happy. I made Shippo kind of go through a "puberty" phase. I got the idea cause I rem learning about how teens have a whole bunch of hormones going through them during this time and sometimes don't think straight. So I applied that thinking to demons and made Shippo basically go through the same thing, just more intense and dangerous. _

_Art-Dreamer: haha one word: awesomeness. Love it! Keep reviewing!_

(Divider)

Rin sat atop one of the many grassy hills decorating the little village landscape with her hair pulled away from her face in a low ponytail. Kaede had dressed her in traditional priestess clothing today and had even topped it off with the traditional hairstyle. Rin sighed lightly as she stared out into the distance wondering what her lord was doing at that moment, maybe he was thinking of her?

"Rin! What are you doing out here?" Rin turned at the sound of Kohaku's voice to see the demon slayer making his way up the hill towards her. He was wearing the traditional slayer outfit and had his weapon strapped to his waist. From his confident expression Rin could only assume that he had exterminated a few demons before coming upon her. She turned towards the man and gave him a smile before bowing her head, remembering that Kaede said she should treat others with as much respect as possible. Since she was still getting used to interacting with humans again she would need to make as many friends as possible.

He bowed his head back at her before giving her an anxious smile, still awaiting her answer, seeming truly curious for the reasoning behind sitting on a hill all by herself.

"I just needed to get away to think, that's all," Rin answered and Kohaku hurried over and gently grabbed her arm.

"Well, it's time you came back to the village. It's dangerous to be by yourself! A demon could've come and kidnapped you!" Kohaku replied exasperatedly. Rin mentally shook her head at him, hiding a small smile that threatened to appear on her lips. If only a demon _had _come and stolen her away, and if only that demon had been Lord Sesshomaru.

"Of course Kohaku. You are knowledgeable in these sorts of things," Rin commented, and though she had wanted to come off as sarcastic she could tell by his adoring eyes that he had taken it differently. Throughout her stay with Lady Kaede she had been told by many human men that she was beautiful. She knew herself, when she'd stop to look at her reflection in the river, that she was beautiful. And yet she still felt like it wasn't enough to be beautiful, at least for her eternal happiness. Only if Lord Sesshomaru would come and whisk her away to be his so she could feel truly beautiful.

The two had just started to walk down the hillside when a loud rustling of tree branches sounded and Kohaku instantly let go of Rin to stand in front of her, poised to protect her from whatever was making those noises. Rin tensed behind him and frantically searched for anything that would signify their threat's position.

Then in a flash a figure jumped out of the trees and landed in front of Kohaku. He had a red outfit on and long silvery hair that reached his waist. He had landed in a crouched position, so after touching ground he immediately straightened. The two stared at him for a moment before recognizing him.

"Inuyasha!" the two cried in unison. The half demon placed his fists on his hips and smirked down at the two. Rin noted that he hadn't aged a day since she had seen him last, which had been close to seven years ago. She had heard from Lady Kaede that he also was mated to Kagome, and that they were eternally connected. Which meant that Kagome would live in Inuyasha's time cycle, rather than a normal human life cycle.

Rin grew envious of the priestess, for Kagome had found the love of her life and she wouldn't be plagued by the fact that he was a half-demon and she was human. If only she and Lord Sesshomaru could be connected in such a way, but Rin knew that Lord Sesshomaru's pride would never allow such a thing to happen. Humans were filth in his eyes, barely worth acknowledging. How could someone who thinks that way ever be expected to mate with a human?

"Hey Kohaku and....Rin? I didn't recognize you for a second. You look just like Kagome in those clothes!" Inuyasha observed as he walked up to her and took her face in his hands so he could study her features closer. Rin was thrown out of her thoughts at the feel of Inuyasha's hands on her face and her cheeks heated up at the instant closeness of Inuyasha's face to hers. No man had ever been this close to her other than Lord Sesshomaru.

"Wow, that's amazing," Inuyasha murmured before letting her go and taking a step back, "I have to bring Kagome over so she can see herself. She'll never believe me!" Inuyasha laughed before waving goodbye and jumping away from the two in a blur. They watched his form jump across the roofs of village huts in a rush before they continued on towards the village.

Once Lady Kaede's hut came into view Rin saw Shippo talking with Inuyasha before the half-demon hooked his arm around the fox demon's neck and ruffled his short red hair. The fox demon was laughing, but squirming to escape Inuyasha's hold. Kaede came out of the hut and quickly grabbed one of Inuyasha's dog ears and tugged it roughly, freeing the fox demon from Inuyasha. Inuyasha let out a surprised cry before glaring up at the old woman, but she said a few words to him and let his ear go. She continued walking away and Inuyasha watched her go while rubbing his reddened ear.

"I wonder why Inuyasha is here," Kohaku murmured as the two continued to walk towards them.

"Inuyasha and Kagome dropped Shippo off here three years ago, well it's almost four now since..." Rin murmured and lowered her lids. It had been almost four years since her lord had first left her there. She also hadn't seen him since that time he appeared and saved her from Shippo. It had been months and Rin was starting to lose hope again.

"Was he hurt?" Kohaku asked.

"Yes, he can't really control his demon. You remember right? You were here when it first started happening," Rin replied. Kohaku nodded and turned to look back at Shippo and Inuyasha, who had started talking and joking around again.

"He looks so normal like this. You can't even tell he's not in control," Kohaku observed as they were nearly upon them now. Shippo paused mid-sentence in what he was telling Inuyasha and sniffed the air before turning to look at Rin and Kohaku. His bright green eyes lingered on Rin though. Inuyasha followed the fox demon's gaze before a smirk spread across his lips and he grabbed the demon once again to mess up his hair.

"Looks like Shippo's got a crush!" he teased as the fox blushed and locked eyes with Rin before hastily looking away. Rin cocked her head to the side and wondered if Shippo truly had a "crush" on her. It was a future term that Kagome and Inuyasha used a lot, it was supposed to mean that a person likes you. But "crushing" on someone sounded painful in Rin's mind.

"I'm not surprised, Rin has become very beautiful in these past few years," Kaede stated, all of the sudden appearing behind Inuyasha. The half-demon's mouth gapped before he let Shippo go and hurriedly protected his ears. The old woman smirked at him for a moment before looking back at Rin.

"It seems you've bewitched the whole village. People can't seem to stop talking about how wonderful and beautiful you are," she added. Rin smiled sheepishly at her before blushing when all the others turned to observe her.

"I'm surprised Sesshomaru hasn't come and-ow! Stop it you old hag!" Inuyasha cried out when Kaede whacked him on the head with a cane she had started using a few months ago.

"He hasn't returned since he dropped her here in the village," Kaede replied hotly as she glared at the half-demon. Rin noted that Lady Kaede didn't bring up Lord Sesshomaru's last visit, or his battle with Shippo. _Could it be because she's worried that Inuyasha will get overprotective of Shippo and go after Lord Sesshomaru?_ Rin thought as she continued to watch the two fight. Inuyasha glared back at Kaede before turning to look at Rin.

"Maybe he's still waiting until she's old enough to...you know. Ow!" Kaede whacked him across the head again.

"To what?" Rin asked innocently Kaede blushed a little at her before she repeatedly whacked Inuyasha on the head with her cane. A few seconds later the half-demon was a pile of twitching limbs and moans of pain. Deciding that she didn't want to harm Inuyasha anymore with her ignorance, Rin shut her mouth.

"Please Rin, come inside. I have to tell you something," Kaede stated after clearing her throat and sending Inuyasha another warning glare. He glared back at her for a moment before hastily covering his head.

"Kohaku, Shippo, stay outside with Inuyasha," Kaede instructed and the two men nodded. Rin followed Kaede into the hut and sat on her knees in front of the small fire pit that was situated in the middle of her hut. Kaede grabbed a burnt stick from the pile inside the fire pit and started lazily poking at a pile of ash.

"Rin, it has come to my attention that ye are coming of age to marry soon. I know it's a touchy subject, since you are still hoping Lord Sesshomaru will come," Kaede began after a pause and stopped when she saw the look of despair cross Rin's features. She couldn't marry another! She only loved Lord Sesshomaru, and that's how it will always be!

"But I think ye should consider marriage. There are many suitable men in our village, and I know that Kohaku has a soft spot for ye, as does Shippo but he is a demon so it could not possibly work. Kohaku will also protect you against demons and all else that may come your way," she continued and Rin felt her eyes start to water. Even though she had started giving up hope on her lord, she could never fully forget him and marry. She wouldn't love whomever she did marry and that would be unfair to both of them.

"I can't Lady Kaede. I will not love whomever I marry unless it is Lord Sesshomaru," Rin replied with certainty and saw the old woman's face fall before she masked it away with an agitated sigh.

"I was hoping you'd move on, but it is better to be married than become a spinster. People in our village don't marry for love, but for looks and status. So ye need not fear hurting the man ye marry, because he will probably not love you either," Kaede stated and Rin sat back in shock at the thought that she could not escape her fate.

"But I do not _want_ to marry, Lady Kaede! Let me stay with you and become a miko!" Rin exclaimed. It was a stretch, but it was the best chance she had. Kaede's eyebrows shot up in surprise before she rubbed her chin and seemed in deep thought.

"I do need someone willing to watch the Shikon Jewel when I die, which may be very soon. You would need strong discipline and could never marry anyone, human or demon. Ye need to be completely pure to watch over the Shikon Jewel," Kaede warned. Rin nodded vigorously in acceptance.

"I'll do it!" she exclaimed and hurriedly hugged the priestess when Kaede sighed in defeat.

"We'll start tomorrow then," Kaede proposed

(Divider)

"Hold the bow steady-the bow!" Kaede cried out as she bent down quickly when an arrow whizzed by her shoulder, barely missing her. Rin bit her lip uneasily as she checked to make sure Kaede was alright.

"I'm sorry Lady Kaede. I'm no good at this," Rin murmured after she was sure the old woman was alright.

"Don't fret child, ye will get better. All it takes is practice," Kaede soothed as she used her cane to push herself up so she stood straight again.

"Just think of it as your lasso. Ye didn't get good at it until you practiced with Shippo. I also know that the two of ye haven't been abiding to my punishment. Don't think me oblivious Rin," Kaede added and Rin couldn't help but flinch at the woman's cunning. Her and Shippo had been trying their hardest not to be seen or followed, the only time they were caught together was in the market place...

"I know about your meeting places, if I were foolish enough I'd think ye were lovers. But I know better, I've taught ye better than to fall in love with a demon," Kaede stated. While she was right, her and Shippo weren't lovers, she still felt her face twitch slightly at the idea that it could be taken that way. Did Shippo know that they were giving others the wrong signals about their relationship?

"Of course, Lady Kaede," Rin hesitantly agreed. The priestess gave her a confident nod before patting Rin affectionately on the shoulder.

"Let's try this again, shall we?"

(Divider)

Shippo sat atop a house rooftop holding a couple of daisies to his nose while lazily kicking his left foot back and forth. He didn't know who's rooftop he was sitting on, and frankly, didn't really care. The towns people were the last people he wanted to show respect to. While Kaede and Rin were nice to him, they tended to be the _only_ people who were nice to him. He was lucky they weren't worse to him. He was under Kaede's protection, and most townspeople didn't dare cross her.

With the new found "power" Shippo had to admit that he did go a bit overboard sometimes. He'd just have to say it was the fox inside him that was causing all these pranks and rebellious acts to occur. The fox was a cunning creature by nature, so why shouldn't he be too?

"Hey you! Demon!" a man yelled up at him. He turned a blind eye to him, but his ears twitched at the sound of his voice. It was the town blacksmith, he knew because he had seen Rin and Kaede go there earlier that morning to get arrow heads from him. He had a very gruff and angry sounding voice, the most intimidating kind by human standards. Too bad he was a demon, or he'd be running scared too.

"What?" Shippo lazily called back, more to humor the man than anything else. He could smell his aura change and become hotter, signaling his temper was flaring up. Not that it really mattered, what could a human do from all the way down there?

"Get off my roof, this is my house you're sitting on! And I'll have no demons around my property! I don't allow scum like you to even _look_ at my house," the man screamed up at him. Shippo let out a sigh before glaring down at him. He had learned long ago to not take what humans said personally, it was because of their simplemindedness towards demons that caused them to be so hateful.

"You shouldn't be talking to me that way. You had to have saw me on the square the other day old man! I can take you out without even trying!" he yelled down at the man. He glared up at Shippo before hurrying inside his house. _Good riddance _Shippo thought as he sat back willing himself to go back to sleep again, but couldn't when he heard the sound of footsteps head out of the house and into the street. Before he gave in to his curiosity to see what the blacksmith was going to do, Shippo felt a rock hit his abdomen. The human was throwing rocks at him!

He jumped to his feet and looked down to see that his whole family had come out, and they all were carrying rocks. Even the blacksmith's youngest daughter, who had to only be around four or five years of age, was looking up at him spitefully with her own little collection of rocks. He growled at them, which caused the women to shrink back in fear, before he jumped off the roof and ran across the other roofs parallel to the blacksmith's.

He heard the blacksmith and his boys hooting and hollering in victory, and could hear his wife's sigh of relief. Could this village really hate demons that much? Against his strong will Shippo began to cry. Only when his feet reached the ground and he was surrounded by forest did he start sobbing. _It wasn't fair! It wasn't fair! _Shippo kept screaming in his head as he continued to run. He was a demon, he should be treated with the utmost respect. The townspeople should fear him, fear his wrath should they displease him. But instead they treated him like trash, and he _accepted it_.

Lady Kaede always pushed him to stay calm and to not harm a human in the village, if he did she would have to kill him. As the priestess of the village it was her duty to protect the townspeople and punish those that harmed or killed someone in that village. Sometimes he wondered if she secretly hated demons as much as the rest of the town did. If she cared for him in the least she'd let him go, instead of making him suffer in this hell she called a home.

"_Lady Kagome wants ye here. She believes it's for the best, and she trusts me completely. Ye think of her as a mother, so abide by her wishes boy," _She always did do that, call him boy, like he wasn't really special to her. Why would Kagome leave him here? Was he just supposed to wait for his adoptive mother to come back for him, if she came back at all? Inuyasha had come by to tell him that all was well, and that Sango and Miroku had left the group for safer grounds for their children. It was only Inuyasha and Kagome now. While Inuyasha visited him earlier, he didn't once say if they were going to take him back. Not once did Inuyasha say that they'd come back in a month or even a year so he could rejoin the group. Did they not want him back? Did they think he liked it better in this village?

"Shippo!" He immediately stopped running at the sound of Rin's voice. He clenched his fists and whirled around so his back was to her. As he heard her footsteps approaching him he tried his hardest to get his emotions under control, he didn't want Rin to see him crying. It was stupid to cry, he was supposed to be a man, and men didn't cry.

"Are you alright?" she asked, standing a few feet away from him. He quickly rubbed his eyes with his palms and whirled around to face her.

"Oh hey Rin, didn't see you there," he laughed, "yeah, I'm fine. Just felt like a run through the forest," he added, trying with all his might to seem sincere. Rin eyed him suspiciously before slinging her bow over her shoulder and holding an arrow in her free hand.

"Practicing?" he asked, hoping to change the subject. It worked.

"Trying to. Kaede sent me off to practice on my own. I think I've taken ten years off her life with all the near misses that I've made with my arrows," Rin answered with a sigh before looking to the ground.

"Don't give up. You'll be a great miko," Shippo stated and Rin gave him a thankful smile.

"I just wish I could transfer my power to my arrows like Kaede and Kagome can. I wonder if being a miko is only reserved for people with names that begin with the letter K," Rin stated.

"The letter K? Why such a random letter?" Shippo asked in a laugh.

"Well think about it. Kikyo was a miko, Kaede is a miko, and Kagome is a miko too, three K's right there," Rin replied, and counted off the names on her fingers. Shippo smiled down at her and couldn't help but notice how adorable she was. Sure he knew she was beautiful for a human, but he had never taken a step back to _really_ look at her.

"Well, I know you'll break that record," he replied before ruffling her hair.

"Hey! Stop that Shippo!" she cried out, but was laughing as she tried to push his arm away. At that moment he realized why he hadn't run away yet, why he hadn't gone to search for Kagome and Inuyasha himself. It was because of Rin.

She was why he put up with all the townspeople, and even Kaede at times. He stayed because he loved seeing her smile, and hear her care-free laugh. He also loved her open mindedness towards him. He wasn't just a demon, he was person just like her. He meant something...he was important...to her. Really that's all he needed, all he could ever want...

(Divider)


	8. Chapter 8

_So Sorry for making everyone wait so long! I've just been totally overwhelmed at school and with another story I've been working on. But I'll start updating for this story I promise!! _

_Review Corner_

_Sesshrin devotor:Thanks so much for your review! And I don't want to give too much away on why I made Rin a miko, it'll come out eventually ;). _

_Rickashay: Aww thanks for your review! And it's kind hard not to make Sesshy's mom a B- just because she is technically a B since she's a female dog (har har har). But I'll do my best :)_

_I am the Wind Mizuki Kay: haha loved your review :) and I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but hope you like this update too!!_

_CutieSOS: I love how you read all my stories, even my Kag/Sessh story :)it means a lot to me to have a loyal reviewer! Thanks for your review!_

_The14Notes: Aww always love to hear that I am able to keep everyone in character! Sesshy is always the hardest, he does go a little OC in my stories sometimes, but please bear with me lol. Thanks for the your review!_

_Rashiq: Don't worry, Sesshy might be submissive now, but we all know he isn't one to follow orders, even from his mother. (Hint hint, wink wink). Anyway thanks for your review!_

_Kawaiiprinces93: Kaede sounded irish? Lol! I'm sorry about that, I didn't even realize she did. I loved that episode too!! I watch it all the time, and work off it. Every time someone criticizes me for Sesshy showing emotions in my story I tell them to go watch that episode lol. Thanks for your review!_

_DnC4evr: thanks for your review! Sorry the update took so long!_

_Dark Cemone: I know right?! But don't worry, he will ;) thanks for the review! _

_(Divider)_

Rin held her bow close to her chest as she surveyed the area, her trusty horse grunting and pacing behind her. She had reigned him today, since he had never gone on a demon run with her before, and Rin was unsure how he'd react to a demon approaching them, and possibly trying to kill them. Sure they had practiced targeting with Shippo, but both knew that Shippo would not harm them. Whatever they found today could very well be the death of them.

"Don't worry. Lady Kaede told me that she'd be following close behind to protect us if something goes wrong," Rin whispered to her steed, though uncertain why since he probably couldn't understand her. But the soft sound of her voice seemed to sooth him because his pacing stopped and he stared at her, seeming completely composed.

The sound of rustling nearby set both on edge and Rin quickly jumped onto her horse's back. Her horse grunted and shook his head wildly, trying to take in the scenery around them. Rin shushed him and knocked her bow, much like Kaede had shown her before. She tugged the arrow back as far as she could and held still for a couple of seconds, waiting to hear another rustle. Living with demons did come in handy, given that she could hear and sense things much better than most humans. Both Sesshomaru and Jaken had conditioned her for this.

The bushes only a few yards from them moved and Rin's eyes instantly caught it and waited for the demon to show itself. A moment later a large blue snake head came out of the bush and slithered quickly towards them. Rin let her arrow go and it hit the snake in the forehead. _Bulls eye!_ Rin thought with a confident smile, _and on my first try too!_The snake let out an angered hiss, but only seemed temporarily distracted by the arrow. Rin let out a worried gasp when the demon didn't disintegrate like it was supposed to. _I mustn't be trained enough to call on my powers at will,_ Rin thought fearfully as she tried to think of what she should do.

Only pausing to watch the demon momentarily, Rin reached behind her back and pulled out another arrow and immediately knocked it before aiming at one of the demon's eyes. It's eyes were as red as fire as they gleamed in the sunlight and Rin almost felt like they were bearing into her soul. Those cold eyes...so willing to fight to the death and so ready to make her it's next meal.

She _would not_ be it's next meal.

She relaxed her body and let her mind find peace as she tried to "feel" for her powers. Kaede had advised her to feel for something when she wanted to call upon her powers. Only a certain emotion would trigger them. It was different for everyone, and most of the time they'd find out at a random time. She tried to think of happy thoughts, of sunsets and how the waves of the ocean hit the sand at the beach. She had thought of similar things when she had been able to transform Shippo back into his human form. _It's worth a shot,_ Rin thought as she willed herself to take a breath and keeping imagining peaceful things. Each image sent a wave of relaxation through her and she could feel her hands starting to heat up and energy begin to appear around them.

She opened her eyes and saw that little white balls were floating all around her hands, much like it had when she had been attacked by Shippo. Was the power she had emitted then and her miko powers one and the same?

She then focused on the arrow tip and saw the white balls begin to morph together before they moved towards the arrow and surrounded it, giving it a white aura. It matched the pink aura that surrounded Kaede's arrow when she shot purified arrows. Rin turned back to the demon and aimed once more before letting the arrow go. She felt a slight tug from within her body when the arrow left the bow, but it hit the demon's left eye without fail and the demon let out a pained screech before suddenly disintegrating, leaving the arrows she had shot untouched. Rin urged her horse forward towards the demon's ashes and jumped off the saddle to pick up the arrows.

True to it's looks, they were untouched. Most of the time Kaede had to make so many arrows because each one would disintegrate with the demon's corpse every time it was purified. But when this demon was purified, the arrow looked like she hadn't even shot it. There wasn't even blood on it!

Her horse bent his head and gently nibbled on her kimono shirt, signaling for her attention. She turned her head in his direction and he turned his snout towards the west. Rin followed his gaze and spotted Lady Kaede making her way towards them.

"Very good Rin. I daresay you've reached a much higher level than any other priestess I've known. None, not even I, could purify an arrow so quickly," Kaede stated as she stood before the two. Rin's horse grunted and hoofed the ground before inclining his head forward and back in an quick jerking motion.

"Yes, of course I noticed you're bravery too. No other horse I've known could be so reserved so close to a demon," Kaede complimented and the horse gave a pleased snort before standing up straight to survey the two women.

Rin turned from Kaede back to the arrows in her hand. Was this some kind of unique power that only she had? Kaede noted her silence and the arrows in her hand before smiling.

"Were ye saddened that ye weren't allowed to use those arrows?" Kaede asked kindly.

"But I did use it. I went to pick it up from the demon's ashes and it was untouched, even by blood," Rin answered. Kaede's eyes narrowed at that and she outstretched her hand towards Rin.

"Let me see," she stated and Rin put the arrows gently in her hands. Kaede studied them for a couple of moments before she handed them back.

"Hmm...this is very strange. I've never heard of this ever occurring. Ye did incinerate the demon, I saw it myself, and yet it seems that ye did something different," Kaede described. Rin brought her hands up to her face and thought of the white light that had appeared. Could her power be something different then purification? Kagome, Kikyo, and Kaede all had pink auras around their arrows and were able to purify defiled objects, but Rin didn't know if she could do that.

"Come back with me. I shall think up other more challenging training activities for ye to do," Kaede stated and turned on her heel to walk back to the village. Rin mounted her steed and followed close behind.

(Divider)

The next morning the sun's rays hit Rin's eyelids and she woke up with a tired groan while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. For a moment she laid on her futon and blinked to focus her vision. The hay roof looked back at her while she wondered what was planned for her today. After a few seconds she realized by the position of the sun how late it was and sat up in the bed before looking hastily around. Usually Kaede woke her up at dawn to get her to run errands and care for the vegetable garden that was at the back of the hut. Why had Kaede allowed her to sleep in? _Suspicious_, Rin thought with slightly narrowed eyes.

Rin slowly rose from her futon before reaching for a fresh priestess kimono that had been folded neatly on the floor at the foot of her bed. She walked outside and headed for the small pond that was a few feet away from Kaede's hut. _Maybe she wants to make sure I'm fully rested for today's training. I'll take a bath and worry about what she has in store for me later,_ Rin thought as she let out a sigh.

Once she got to the lake she was pleased to see that no one else was in it. It always bothered Rin when someone else was bathing in the lake and she'd be forced to either wait or share. It was especially awkward if it was one of the village men.

Letting out a happy sigh Rin hurried down to the edge of the lake before placing her clean clothes behind a bush and quickly took off the ones she was wearing. Folding them as neatly as possible, Rin set her old clothes next to her clean ones and quickly jumped into the lake. It was cold at first, but after a couple seconds of shivering Rin got used to the temperature and dunked her head into the water.

The water was so silent and calm, it was the best place to go when Rin wanted to think. Letting the soft liquid caress her body Rin swam through the depths for a good two minutes before coming up for air. Once she was sure she'd have enough air to last another few minutes Rin dipped into the water again.

This time she let her mind wander as she pondered why she was so different from other priestesses. Before all of this happened she had assumed she was an ordinary human, nothing special. But now that she had this power she wondered if she could handle the hard work that Kaede did everyday.

Ever since Rin started following Lord Sesshomaru she had always been just that, the follower. She had never had any powers or strength to survive on her own, but Sesshomaru had always been there to save her if she got into any trouble. He had done it when she had almost been taken to a human village by monks, several times when she'd almost get eaten by demons, and even when she had been dragged into Hell he had gone after her. Never had _she_ been the one to protect someone. But if she did intend to become a priestess she would eventually have to become the town's protector against demons.

Rin shook her head slightly in the water to clear her thoughts before swimming to the surface for air. She shivered when the cool air hit her face and shoulders and figured it was a good time to get out and change. _Lady Kaede will worry where I am if I take too long,_ Rin thought and shivered again, but not because of the temperature of the lake. Not even searching for anyone nearby Rin swam to the edge of the water before walking onto the sandy beach, exposing her naked body to the afternoon air.

Flipping her head down she twirled her thick hair together and squeezed it to get as much water out as she could. Once she was satisfied she flipped her head up and let her wet locks rest against her back and caress her shoulder blades. In a few minutes it would start to curl and become the wavy mass that was her natural hair.

She rubbed her arms and tried her best to wipe away the water droplets that were still on her skin and sat against a nearby rock to bask in the sun. It'd only take five or ten minutes for the rays to completely dry her skin and hair, and then she could put her clean clothes on. Rin rested her hands at the base of the rock and arched her back to allow her head to fall back slightly, exposing her neck.

"Such a beautiful sight," a silky voice complimented. Rin immediately stiffened and whirled her head to the right to try and spot the source of the voice. But all she saw were groups of trees. She didn't see any shadows or figures of any kind. Her eyes then traveled to her clothes that were a few feet away. Dare she try and snatch them?

She got her answer when the voice let out a high pitched whistle and his figure became evident when he stepped out onto the beach. He had a very pleasant face and demeanor, he merely seemed like an ordinary village man. His black hair was long and traveled down his back, and his eyes were green. He wore the basic village kimono that was a plain brown with a few stitch patterns. His eyes were soft and his smile was friendly, but Rin knew better.

She could sense the demonic aura that resonated around his body. A dark green aura was circling him like an aroma. Another benefit that Rin had inherited from traveling with Sesshomaru. After so many years she had learned to "see" demonic aura since she had been exposed to it so often from Ahun, Jaken, and Sesshomaru.

"I'm sorry for intruding, but I had to come and see if you were real. I wanted to ask you if you were human or not. You don't give off any demonic aura but are as radiant as any demoness I have ever seen. I've been admiring you from afar," the man stated with another friendly smile. His smile was also very pleasant and Rin had to compliment him on choosing such an attractive human disguise. She wouldn't let her guard down though, since he was a demon. Rin cursed the fact that she hadn't thought to bring her bow and arrow, or at least _something_ she could have used for a weapon.

"Thank you, but I really should be getting back," Rin stated a little uneasily as she slowly slid herself off the rock she had been lying on. The man's smile never faltered as her feet hit the ground, but his eyes slightly hardened and they seemed to be calculating her every move. Like how a cat watches a mouse.

Rin took a few steps towards her clothes, but the man's voice stopped her yet again.

"You didn't answer my question," he pointed out, and Rin felt even more uneasy when his eyes wandered down her body before returning to her face. Rin really wished she hadn't forgotten to scout the area for danger before taking her bath.

"Why don't you try to guess what I am?" Rin asked, hoping to bide her a few more seconds to grab her clothes and run. His eyebrows furrowed forward and his smile disappeared before being replaced by a frown.

"But I have already been guessing. I didn't sense any demonic aura on you, so I know you're not a demon. But your beauty may signify that you are either a succubus or a water nymph," the man stated and looked up into the sky in thought as he talked. Rin took that chance to hurry over to her clothes and make a mad dash into the forest.

As she ran she could hear the man's voice emit a loud laugh before he reappeared before her. He stood perched on a high branch of the tree right in front of Rin. He lazily laid against the truck as he stared down at her.

"You don't think I'd let such a pretty little thing get away from me, did you?" he asked and jumped down to land gracefully in front of her. His dark black hair fell effortlessly down his back, his bone straight hair so thin that it seemed like nothing could ever mess it up. For a moment Rin forgot about the danger and felt sudden hair envy towards the man. Why should he get such great hair and she be forced to deal with the messy mass of hair she had?

"Still you confuse me, little minx. I see the admiration you're feeling towards me in your eyes, but it could be a succubus trick to get me to believe that you want me. Tell me truthfully princess, do you find me attractive?" he asked. Rin held her clothes to her chest to try and conceal as much as she could from his eyes and blushed. Her mind finally made the connection that she was standing naked in front of a strange man that was most likely a demon wanting to kill her.

"Are you too shy to admit your feelings? Such innocence," the man murmured and stepped forward to cup her chin in his left hand, "I applaud your seductive skills. Innocence is a _very_ attractive trait to demons,"

Rin gulped and tried her hardest to summon her powers to get rid of this demon, but they wouldn't appear. She felt no sensations tingling in her arms or any part of her body that would signal the awakening of her powers. She was too frightened to concentrate and find a peaceful image, the one thing that seemed to channel them.

"Don't be frightened. I'm not here to kill you, no, rather I'd like to make you mine," the man whispered and wrapped his right arm around the small of her back to press her up against his chest. His left hand still remained under her chin, angled slightly so they could still have eye contact. Rin's elbows had been bent to hold her clothes over her naked body, and pressed up against his chest she couldn't move her arms at all.

He ran his finger along her jaw line before gently pushing her head to the right, exposing her neck to him. Rin's eyes widened and they swiftly turned to look at him as he opened his mouth, exposing outgrown fangs.

"This'll only hurt a little," he promised, his human voice giving way to a much darker and sinister sounding voice. Rin shut her eyes and braced for the bite that she would receive, but was surprised when she was thrown to the ground. She let out a surprised gasp as her back hit the floor and she quickly got up to see what had happened.

The man had been flung into the tree truck, so powerfully that there was a good three inch indent of his body on the tree. His eyes were tightly shut and he gave out a light grunt of pain before opening them, revealing bright yellow eyes with black irises.

"Who dares to harm the great cat demon, Daichi?!" he growled in outrage before pushing himself out of the indent in the tree trunk.

"I do," another voice stated proudly and Rin turned to her left to spot her savior. With widened eyes she recognized Shippo. He didn't have his signature light blue kimono on, rather he had a black kimono that was tucked in at the waist by white wide legged pants.

His red hair laid plastered on his forehead and ears as he made a mad dash at the cat demon that called himself Daichi. Daichi quickly transported out of the way just as Shippo's claws scratched the bark of the tree he had previously been stuck in. Shippo swiftly turned around, but wasn't quite fast enough. Daichi appeared above him and kicked him in the face which sent him reeling.

Shippo let out a low growl as he composed himself and jumped at Daichi again. The cat demon smirked widely at him and disappeared before reappearing behind Shippo. When Shippo turned around Daichi repeated the same tactic and Shippo was sent flying. His fell onto the ground and slid a few feet before quickly recovering and running at Daichi once more.

With another smirk the cat demon disappeared and Rin waited for Shippo to be thrown again, but this time the fox demon seemed to be ready. With a quick twirl on his heel he was able to estimate the direction that Daichi would appear from, and when the demon did Shippo grabbed a hold of his leg. The cat demon let out a grunt of surprise before Shippo threw him a few feet into the nearest tree. The demon let out a hiss when his body made contact with the tree and he took a few seconds to catch his breath.

"Why do you protect this woman?" Daichi asked after he recovered and he slowly pulled himself up off the ground, "is she your mate?" he added and Shippo's face went red before his expression became serious again.

"She is a friend," Shippo clarified, "why should the reason I protect her mean anything to you?" he asked in return.

"Because I need to know if she's already mated. If she were mated to you, the only thing I could do would be to kill you and claim her as mine. But since you two are not joined I need not bother with you," Daichi explained before disappearing again.

Both Shippo and Rin looked around wildly before Rin stiffened when she sensed Daichi's aura behind her. Quickly standing she whirled around so she could face him. He appeared before her and smirked when he noted she was already expecting him.

"Such a strange being," he observed before making a grab for her. Rin swatted his hands away and took a few steps back. His playful look immediately turned serious at her fear of him and he closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds.

"You cannot run from me, little succubus," he stated, but quickly jumped out of the way when Shippo went to kick him. Narrowly missing him Shippo growled as he sniffed the air and waited for Daichi to appear again.

The cat demon appeared behind Rin and grabbed her arms. Rin let out a surprised scream before dropping her clothes to the ground. Shippo whirled around at the sound of her scream and paused for a moment when she stood fully exposed to him. He gawked for a good second before his entire face went red and he quickly looked away.

"Hold still," Daichi advised as he went to wrap one arm around her waist. Rin grabbed for it and shut her eyes as she quickly thought of how she felt in the lake before Daichi had appeared. The serenity and peacefulness that had tingled through her whole body. Instantly she felt Daichi retract his arm and his aura become less overwhelming. She turned slightly to give Daichi a sideways glance to see him cradling his arm and noted that he was standing a few feet away from her. There was a big burn in the shape of a hand on the part of his arm that Rin had held onto.

He looked up at her and his eyes seemed to practically glow, as if he had to call on more of his demonic power to keep his arm.

"Could it be?" he murmured and continued to stare at her before his eyes narrowed and he hurried over to her side again.

"I must have you," he stated urgently as he wrestled her to the ground and held her arms captive above her head. Rin was about to scream again, but Shippo again came to her rescue. Shoving his whole body into the cat demon he was able to roll them a few feet away from Rin.

Daichi quickly recovered and growled at Shippo before his form started to change.

"I didn't want to waste my time with you pup, but it seems you leave me no choice," Daichi stated, his voice getting steadily lower with each word he spoke. His black hair enveloped his body as he started to grow. The trees groaned as the cat demon's growing size pushed them to the ground.

His fingernails grew as his fingers were covered in black fur as they morphed into paws. Daichi let out a cry as his entire body began to grow. His kimono tore and soon was too small to cover his body. As the material gave way, black fur appeared. The transformation was smooth as his body grew in proportion, Rin gulped in fear as his body's shadow slowly engulfed her and Shippo.

Once Daichi was completely transformed he stood above the trees and glared down at Shippo with his yellow eyes. His dark locks had now become black fur that surrounded his body, but he didn't look like any ordinary cat. His face was pinched forward much further than any cat's face Rin had ever seen, and large wrinkles formed around his eyebrows and nose as he let out a loud shriek that resembled an angry cat's hiss.

Shippo glared up at him before jumping onto the nearest demolished tree. He continued to jump from tree to tree, higher and higher until he was in the air above Daichi's head. Daichi gave out another loud shriek before clawing at the much smaller Shippo. Shippo quickly dodged his claws before holding his hand out so his palm faced Daichi.

"Fox Fire!" he yelled and a light green ball appeared above his hand before a large green flamethrower shot out towards Daichi. He gave out a low growl as the fire burned his fur and singed his whiskers. Angrily the cat demon pawed at Shippo and was able to land a hit that sent the fox demon roughly to the ground.

"Shippo!" Rin cried out as she was about to run to his side, but remembered she was still completely bare. Quickly grabbing her clothes she hurriedly threw them on and ran towards him. But by the time she was able to make to his side, he was already transforming. There was a large crater that formed where he had fallen, and Rin saw him begin to crawl out. His arms came into view first, covered in red hair and nearly twice as large as her. His paws clawed at the ground as he hoisted himself up and Rin saw bright green eyes glow, standing out much more due to the dark red color of his fur.

The fox demon faced Rin for a moment, as if recognizing her, before he gave a grunt and ran at Daichi. The large cat demon had recovered from the fox fire and made a mad dash for Shippo. The two large demons collided with one another as they clawed and snapped their jaws at each other. Rin winced each time she saw a large claw or tooth make contact with Shippo's enlarged form. She also couldn't help but jump in delight when Shippo would retaliate with swipe of his claws or the crunch of his teeth. The fighting seemed to happen so fast that Rin had trouble keeping focused on either of the demons as they snarled and rammed into each other.

Rin was able to catch the final move when Shippo was able to get a hold of Daichi's leg with his jaws and flipped the large cat demon over onto his back. Daichi let out a hiss of anger before trying to reach his head over and grab onto one of Shippo's legs. But the fox was too fast and was able to latch his jaws on Daichi's furry neck, holding him captive underneath him. The cat demon hissed and scratched as Shippo's chest and stomach, but Shippo's hold didn't falter even as his own blood began to run down his front legs.

Rin saw Shippo's features tighten as his jaw closed in further on Daichi's neck, the cat demon stopped his hissing and his attacks began to slow. _Shippo must be cutting off his airway,_ Rin thought as she held her breath when Daichi let his paws fall against his chest, admitting defeat. Shippo continued to hold onto him and even shook him a little in warning before slowly letting go of his hold on Daichi's neck.

When Daichi began to move Shippo growled down at him in warning. Daichi growled back, but it was soft and submissive. Shippo seemed to be content with that because he moved away and allowed Daichi to sit up and stand on his feet again. Daichi's eyes narrowed at Shippo for a moment as he bent his head down to lick at his bleeding leg. Shippo remained tense, but didn't move towards Daichi as the cat demon continued to lick his wounds. After the bleeding stopped Daichi took one last look at Shippo before hurrying out of sight.

Shippo's bright green eyes remained focused on Daichi's receding form until the cat was no longer visible. Once he was sure that Daichi wouldn't return he began to change back into his human form. Rin watched as his form began to shrink proportionally, before he was encompassed by a green light for a moment. When the green light faded Shippo stood in his black kimono shirt and white pants.

Rin felt her eyes water as she quickly ran from the hill she had been standing on to rush to Shippo's side. Shippo seemed to sense her because his head swerved around and he caught sight of her. A large smile spread across his face before he made a run for her. The fox demon met her half way and Rin couldn't help the gasp she made when she saw the large claw marks Daichi had left along Shippo's chest. It was no longer bleeding, but the cuts themselves looked deep enough to leave scars. Shippo followed her gaze before letting out a light laugh.

"It's nothing," Shippo reassured her before closing his eyes and Rin watched as the wounds slowly began to heal themselves. Shippo was willing his body to heal! Rin thought in amazement as she saw fresh new flesh begin to appear along Shippo's cuts. After a couple of seconds only dried blood on his chest was the only clue that he had been attacked at all. Rin could only stare in amazement.

"I wanted to apologize..." Shippo began awkwardly and it brought Rin out of her trance. She looked up from Shippo's chest to his face only to see it was bright red again.

"Apologize?" Rin repeated, slightly confused. Shippo had just saved_ her_ life, what did he have to apologize to her for?

"For gawking at you before, I shouldn't have even looked," Shippo admitted and his face grew a few shades darker, "I guess I was so used to you as a kid that I didn't even realize how much you've grown," he added, before he let out an embarrassed cry.

"Not that I don't see you as an adult, because you are really mature and smart. It's just that we've grown up together so I never really noticed you as anything more than a friend. Wait that came out wrong too!" Shippo exclaimed as he grabbed his head and shook it back and forth. Rin stared at him for a moment before she burst out laughing. To think, a moment ago Shippo had been this dominating, dangerous creature and now he had become a flustered teenager. Rin was so happy to see that her old friend was in control of the power beast within that she couldn't help but laugh and rejoice. _He won't need to constantly fight the demon anymore, he seems really in control now,_ Rin thought with a smile.

"Thank you Shippo, for saving me," Rin answered after she was able to breathe again. Shippo's face was still a little red, but he smiled at her and nodded.

"Anything for you," he replied and Rin couldn't help but blush.

(Divider)

"It seems to have become so dangerous to even bathe on your own," Kaede stated once Rin finished telling her what had happened that morning. She had been in her hut when Rin and Shippo had returned and was making a vegetable stew for lunch. She had gone to collect ingredients with the notion of making a stew as a "surprise" for them.

Shippo went to sniff the stew before making a face and turning away from it.

"Yuck, do you have to make it just vegetable stew all the time? Why can't you put meat in there?" he asked.

"Ye never complained about there being no meat in it before. Besides, meat is so expensive, I simply can't afford to buy it for all of us," Kaede replied as she stirred the stew one last time before beginning to serve some in tiny bowls.

"I know, but I have the sudden craving for meat," Shippo stated as he licked his lips, seeming to find the thought quite attractive.

"It could be because ye just battled and was victorious in your demon form. Average foxes are carnivores and only eat meat. Maybe your baser instincts as a fox demon are coming through," Kaede suggested. Shippo shrugged and accepted the bowl Rin handed to him. He grabbed the spoon and lifted it to his nose before sniffing it and slightly gagging. Rin covered her mouth to muffle her giggles as Shippo pretended to be poisoned by the stew and fell to the ground as if it had killed him.

"Stop that, or I won't feed ye at all," Kaede threatened angrily over her soup spoon. Rin followed suit and tried her hardest not to laugh as Shippo grabbed his chest and reached for the sky like he saw a light beckoning him to the Heavens.

"Alright, out!" Kaede cried as she shuffled over to Shippo and grabbed his bowl, "go out and hunt for something if you want to eat, because I'm not going to feed you anymore," she added angrily and Shippo sat up before huffing.

"Fine, I never liked taking hand outs from you anyway," Shippo stated and Kaede shook her head as she poured the stew back into the large pot that hung over the fire.

"Sometimes I curse the fact that ye traveled so much with Inuyasha. His attitude seems to have rubbed off on ye," Kaede muttered angrily as Shippo jumped to his feet and walked out of the hut to find something to eat. Right as he pulled the hay curtain that blocked the exit up Kohaku appeared with a barrel of wheat strapped to his back. The two men stared at each other for a moment before Shippo elbowed him out of the way. Kohaku watched him go with a suspicious eye before turning towards the two women with a smile.

"It smells amazing in here Lady Kaede," Kohaku stated and took in a long sniff of air before letting out a sigh of anticipation, as if tasting the stew on his tongue already. Kaede smiled up at him before serving him a hot bowl.

Kohaku placed the large barrel of wheat against a nearby wall before accepting the bowl and digging in. He sat next to Rin and she smiled at him when he nudged her shoulder with his while sipping on his spoon.

Once Rin finished her bowl she handed it to Kaede and thanked her. She heard Kohaku hurriedly slurping as she walked out of the hut. Just as the curtain fell back into place at the doorway Rin heard Kohaku thanking Kaede and footsteps hastily approaching her. She turned around just in time to see Kohaku standing behind her.

"Do you want to come with me to set up the stand for the crop sale tomorrow?" he asked politely and Rin smiled before accepting. Kohaku was always so nice to her, and Rin liked how excited he got when they were going to spend time together. It was endearing and made Rin feel like she was beautiful and genuinely desired.

Kohaku hurried back to grab the wheat barrel and once he returned they made their way into town. Thankfully it was mid afternoon, so most of the setting up was done for a lot of the other stands. The worst time to start working on putting the stands up was in the morning when everyone else did theirs.

When Rin got to the spot that Kaede had reserved for her crops she was surprised to see that the stand was already put together. Kohaku seemed to note her surprise and laughed lightly.

"Oh yeah, Lady Kaede and I worked on it this morning together. But I thought we could still start tying the wheat to the sides and table," Kohaku stated and Rin nodded. Pulling out pieces of rope he had tied to the barrel Kohaku started handing wheat along with the rope to Rin so she could start tying them to the table. Within about thirty minutes the stand was set up with the wheat aspect of the sale.

"Alright, now do you want to head over to the fields to collect the other crops that Lady Kaede 's growing?" he asked and Rin nodded, figuring that it was a good idea. Kaede would be pleased that they were doing work instead of her, and might possibly be in a better mood when Shippo ever decided to return.

Once they made it back to Kaede's hut the old woman stood in front of it with her bow in one hand and a piece of glass in the other. The two stopped a few feet away from her and stared in confusion.

"Please come with me, Rin. I have another training exercise I'd like ye to do," Kaede proclaimed in a serious tone.

(Divider)


	9. Chapter 9

_Alright, well I have to start off by saying I'M SO SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG IN UPDATING! It's been forever, but here is the next installment of "Goodbye isn't forever" :) _

_Review Corner_

_Sesshrin devoter: thanks so much for your review and again I'm sorry for not updating for a long time, but I had horrible writer's block for this story. But now I'm back with a WHOLE new set of ideas! Hehe, enjoy! P.S. I think this chapter will make you happy!_

_Riskasay: aww thanks :) this idea of writing Shippo this way kinda came out of no where. I was watching Fruits Basket a while ago and for some reason thought that Kyo could pass off as an older Shippo. Then the wheels turned in my head and this whole idea of Shippo fighting an inward battle with his demon as well as his feelings for Rin could be really cool! Thanks for the review, by the way ;) _

_CutieSOS: loved your review! Hope you like this chapter too!! Keep reviewing too! Whenever I see your pen name I get all excited to read what you've thought of my chapter! _

_I am the Wind Mizuki Kay: haha I love my Shippo. He was my favorite character at the beginning of Inuyasha, but that was until Sesshomaru showed up :) _

_Rin Bluegold: thanks so much for your review! Yeah, Kaede always the hardest to write dialogue for, and I always reread what I've written for her and keep second guessing myself a lot. I'll definitely work on it though. Always love hearing ways I can improve :) _

_musicgodess3: thanks for your review! I also love the no rush part too, because this chapter was really really thought out. Plus it's nice to have patient readers :) _

_seshomaru94: Thanks for your review! Yeah, having Rin become a miko was more of a way for Rin to get out of having to marry a human. I also was really trying to have Rin believe that if she becomes stronger and can prove her worth, that Sesshomaru will see her in a new light and find her "mate worthy". _

_Jennesse: I think that it's so awesome that you've decided to venture out towards other couples in Inuyasha, and chosen MY story to do it with :) I'm incredibly flattered! I also am working on a Kag/Sessh story with a very close Fatherly relationship with Sesshy and Rin, if that would be something you're interested in. While I enjoy some Kag/Sessh stories, I have to say that I'm still a very strong Sessh/Rin fan :) _

_Dream weaver's victim: glad you lurve it lol, hope you lurve this chapter too!! :)_

_IsabellaXMoon: yup, but no worries. Rin's sadness will soon end, I can promise you that!_

(Divider)

"What is it Lady Kaede?" Rin asked as she took in the piece of glass that the old priestess was still holding. _It doesn't look very significant_, Rin thought as she eyed the glass. Of course whenever she thought that there was _always _something to an ordinary object that she tended to miss. Lady Kaede looked over at her before answering.

"It's a shard of glass filled with demonic aura. I had Shippo convert some of his into this piece as well as many others scattered across the village," Rin's eyebrows shot up in surprise at Kaede words and then narrowed her eyes at the piece of glass as she studied it again. When she looked closer she did spot a faint greenish aura circulating around the shard.

"I wish to see how well ye purify this shard. Any priestess can sense demonic aura and purify it," Kaede explained and handed her the shard. Rin looked at the piece a little warily and didn't extend her hand to accept it. _So many humans have been taken over by demonic aura, what's to say that I won't be either, even though it is only a small amount?_ She thought and glanced back at Kaede. Kaede smiled kindly at her, but continued to hold her arm out towards her.

"Do not fear, I will purify it if this is too much for ye to handle," Kaede promised. Rin's eyes softened slightly at her words and she knew that if she didn't do it, than she wouldn't be able to go any further in studying to become a miko. _This is something that I have to do, something I need to know how to do_ Rin thought with determination as she slowly reached out to grab for the glass.

Rin took a deep breath as her fingers circled the shard and noted that Kaede also seemed to be holding her breath. Once her fingertips felt the sharp edge of the glass, Rin was flooded with the feeling of demonic aura transferring from the glass and up her arm with alarming speed. She let out a light gasp as she felt it coarse through her body and intertwine itself around her own human aura.

"I don't believe it," she heard Kaede say and quickly looked to the older woman for answers. Kaede's mouth was slightly opened in surprise and she seemed to be staring almost in awe at her. "W-What is happening to me Lady Kaede?" Rin asked, her voice shaking in slight fear. Rin noted that Kohaku tensed beside her and rested his hand on the weapon at his hip. Kaede's eyes darted towards the young demon slayer and outstretched her arm towards him, signaling him to stop. He noted her movement and grimaced slightly before letting his body relax and watched Rin helplessly.

"The demonic aura...it's almost like it's...dancing with your own," Kaede whispered and Rin turned from Kaede's widened eyes towards her arm and saw that parts of her arm were glowing the same greenish color that the demonic aura had been. When she focused her vision she noted that it wasn't parts of her arm that were glowing, but the aura itself had become almost ribbon shaped. The greenish ribbons were covering her almost like a piece of clothing would and did seem to "dance" around her arm.

Rin adverted her eyes to the ground and noted that the aura had traveled down her body and coiled around her miko kimono much like it had around her arm. "Is it trying to control me?" Rin asked and Kaede took a moment to answer, and shook her head as she spoke.

"I don't know. I've never seen this happen before. If a person is taken over, usually the aura is fierce and quick in it's possession of a host. But this aura...it seems perfectly content on just circulating around ye," Kaede replied, "try to move your body and see what the aura will do," she added and Rin nodded at her before slowly removing her hand from the piece of glass first before she tried moving her entire body. Bracing herself for the worst Rin tensed her shoulders and spread her legs out a little further as she began to detach her fingers from the shard.

As her fingers slid away Rin waited for the aura to take hold of her or to disappear, but it did neither when she removed her hand from the shard and let it fall effortlessly to her side. In fact, it _continued_ to circulate around her, almost as if it were unaware that she had moved at all. Rin turned her gaze to Kaede and waited for the older woman to speak. _At least say something!_ Rin thought worriedly as she pondered if it would be a good idea to try and take a step now that removing her hand from the glass had done nothing to trigger an action from the demonic aura.

"Take a step towards me," Kaede whispered and brought her arms up as if to stop her, but when she didn't move she motioned for her to come closer. Rin nodded determinedly at her before rising her left leg and pausing mid-step, waiting for a response from the demonic aura. Yet it still did nothing. With slightly more confidence, Rin placed her foot on the ground and finished making her step. Still the aura did nothing other than circulate her in it's enchanting dance.

"It seems to be stationary on the surface of your body," Kaede stated, seeming surprised and slightly amused. Rin stared down at her arm again and wondered why the aura would do such a thing. _Could it be so timid because it's Shippo's aura and not from a demon that wants to kill me?_ Rin thought as she looked at either side of her arm before an idea popped in her head. _I wonder if I could..._ she thought as she zeroed in on the piece of glass still in Kaede's grasp. Focusing her vision solely on the glass, Rin envisioned the aura returning to it's previous host. She willed it to move with all her might, but the aura remained on her body.

"Stubborn," Rin muttered, but squeaked in surprise when the aura began to glow and slowly make it's way back to the glass. Rin watched as the aura circled around her body and spiraled over her arm before gracefully spinning towards Kaede. Kaede let out a soft gasp and brought her hands up to protect herself, but let them fall when she noted that the aura was only returning to the glass shard. Once the last of the aura was back inside the glass Kaede brought it up to her face to inspect it before letting out a sigh.

"It has returned in the same shape that it had been before ye touched it. Yet it seemed so tame when it was around your body, but now that it's returned into the glass it seems to be just as deadly as before," Kaede observed as the aura flared around the glass. Rin walked up to the piece of glass and studied it further before proposing an idea. "What if I try to call on my powers and touch the shard?" Rin asked and Kaede furrowed her brows in confusion.

"But weren't you already using your powers to control the aura?" Kaede asked in return. "Only to send it back into the glass," Rin replied and Kaede stared down at the shard for a moment before presenting it to her. "Try then," she stated.

Rin closed her eyes then and began envisioning the peaceful images that she had always reverted to for calling on her powers. Images of the sunset, the moon, the ocean, and the rhythmic sound of waves crashing on the shore. Instantly her body relaxed and she opened her eyes with new found confidence as she reached for the shard. When her fingertips made contact she felt them grow warm and saw a faint white glow emitting from them and waited for something to happen. A moment later the flaring aura began to settle and shrink into a small ball of energy at the center of the shard.

Rin waited for it to be purified, but the aura never disappeared. It just remained in the center of the glass, completely tamed. _What could this mean?_ Rin thought as she removed her hand when she was certain that the aura would not purify. _Am I not a miko then?_ Rin questioned as her eyes lowered and she felt her eyelids moisten when a wave of tears that threatened to fall. She knew that Kaede would not allow her to continue training if she couldn't harness the basics of miko training. Then she'd be forced to marry a _human_ man in the village and...never see Lord Sesshomaru again.

"This is definitely not miko powers, and yet it seems to be stronger," Kaede murmured and Rin's head shot up in surprise. _Stronger? _Rin thought, was there still a slight chance that her future wasn't sealed to a life of misery?

"Ye were unable to purify the aura, but could control it. In both taming it and controlling where it travels to. These two things are an impossibility for mikos, but I cannot use ye as a protector of the Shikon Jewel. I'm sorry," Kaede stated and Rin felt her chest tighten and her mind fill with dread. _She's going to say it, I just know it,_ Rin thought as she blinked a couple of times to stop the flow of tears.

"You're going to tell me that since I no longer need to remain pure for the jewel that I should marry," Rin sadly murmured as she adverted her eyes from the priestess, unable to look at her when she knew what was coming.

"Yes," Kaede replied and Rin winced slightly before she fisted her hands.

"I can still act like a miko and protect the village! You said my powers were even _stronger_ than a mikos, so I can be useful!" Rin fought back and bit her lip to hold in a sob when she noted that Kaede's expression never faltered.

"Yes ye can be useful, but if ye cannot purify demonic aura than ye cannot properly care for the jewel," Kaede replied gently, and seemed to sense that the news would upset Rin.

"It's just...not fair," Rin murmured and bowed her head so her bangs covered her eyes, "marriage should be a joyous occasion. Not something someone is forced into," she murmured and winced when she heard the raw emotion that cut at her throat and caused her voice to shake as she tried her hardest _not_ to become a sobbing mess. There was a moment of silence before Rin heard Kaede sigh, "I will not force ye to marry, but I strongly suggest that ye keep it in consideration," Kaede stated. Rin switched her eyes from the ground to Kaede's adverted eyes before a large smile spread across Rin's lips. _She's not going to force me to marry!_ Rin thought happily and never thought she ever liked Kaede as much as she did right then. She hurriedly ran to the priestess's side before throwing her arms around her neck in a tight hug.

"Thank you Lady Kaede! You don't know how happy you've made me!" Rin exclaimed, her smile still plastered to her lips. Kaede let out another defeated sigh before gently patting the girl's back. Rin gave Kaede another tight squeeze before letting go and taking a step back to allow space between them. Kaede gave her a half smile before speaking. "Well, since my pretest didn't go as planned, I suppose we'll have to collect the other missing pieces of glass around the village,"

"I'll search for them!" Rin volunteered with another wide smile, "I can still detect demonic aura. If I find the other pieces I can better hone my skills," Rin added and Kaede nodded towards her. Rin rolled up her kimono sleeves up to her elbows before waving a quick goodbye to Kaede and began to walk away. Rin smiled at Kohaku and signaled for him to follow, the demon slayer gave her a half smile before following her. Kaede watched with sad eyes as the young girl walked away with the man who loved her at her heels. _It must've hurt him so much to see her so happy with not having to marry a human,_ Kaede thought as she watched Kohaku's receding form. A moment later Kaede switched to Rin and couldn't help but smile at the odd girl she was turning out to be. She had no direction nor destination in mind, but Kaede didn't miss the slight skip in her step as Rin went on her way.

(Divider)

"Sesshomaru, you've run off again," Inukimi* called as she made her way over to her son who was presently sitting underneath a tree. "I did not 'run off' mother," Sesshomaru scolded in return to his mother's comment. A small smile spread across Inukimi's face as she intertwined her arms within her silk kimono sleeves.

"Is that so? Than why haven't you shown up to any of my scheduled meetings with the nearby demon lords? I have met many powerful demons with suitable single daughters, and you haven't met any," she responded, though the monotone of her voice never faltered. Rather, she sounded more amused than angry with him. It was the one trait of their personalities that his mother and Sesshomaru shared.

His golden eyes lazily traveled to his mother as his jaw tightened ever so slightly. "I've told you that I detest meeting others in such a way. Meetings should be meaningful, rather than 'scheduled,'" Sesshomaru retorted. Inukimi's small smile never faltered as she surveyed her son.

"You've been...distracted lately," she began, and didn't continue until she was sure she had his full attention, "what little world have you escaped to, my son?" she added with a hint of amusement. Sesshomaru turned his gaze away from her and closed his eyes, "Your topic of conversation bores me," he commented, and noted with slight agitation that his mother was still standing a few feet away from him. He had openly dismissed her, and yet she continued to stand there like they were still conversing.

"Such blatant disrespect towards the one that gave you life. Have I taught you nothing at all?" his mother asked with slight agitation, "I must say that I am glad for your absence from my meetings. The demons' daughters would've donned you a barbarian and would want nothing to do with you," his mother mused. Sesshomaru didn't comment and decided it was best to ignore her. Once she realized that her words had no effect on him, she'd give up and leave.

"Of course I could always have my servants fetch that little human girl of yours and bring her here, if such an action would clear your head. I'm sure my human servants would have great fun with her, since you've decided not to claim her as _your_ concubine," Inukimi suggested coyly. Sesshomaru reverted his gaze back to his mother with a slight growl before realizing his mistake a second too late. A smug smirk played across Inukimi's face as she assessed her son's features before speaking.

"So she is the key to your inner turmoil, isn't she Sesshomaru?" she asked with a knowing spark in her eyes. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed slightly at her before turning his head away to continue in his attempt to ignore her. He should have known from the start that her ploy was to get information about Rin out of him. His mother had commented on Rin when she had first met her eleven years ago, and seemed to already know that he had cared for her then. Rin had been his, was still his if he ever saw it fit to fetch her to travel with again, and he would never allow something to happen to what was his.

Of course he hadn't realized just how far Rin had crawled under his skin and burrowed into his heart until he had lost her soul in Hell. The fact that there was nothing that he could do to save her had shaken Sesshomaru to the core. The thought of never seeing her smile at him again, or to hear her light laugh that sounded like chime bells had brought out an anger towards himself he had never felt before.

_She's gone, and you did __**nothing**_! He had thought to himself over and over again as he held her cold lifeless body to his chest. Never had he felt so powerless, so helpless. Had he never known her, had she been the nameless orphan girl that had approached him bearing food, her loss would've meant nothing to him. If her soul was forever lost in Hell and his tenseiga strengthened, he wouldn't have cared. That fact alone proved to him that Rin meant more to him than just a possession, more so than even as his ward.

"You've gone and done it again," Inukimi sighed impatiently. "Done what?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Gone into your own little world and forgotten about the rest of us," she replied in a bored tone, "do you think of your human pet whenever you go there?" she asked curiously.

"She isn't my pet," he snapped before growling inwardly at his foolishness at taking the bait his mother kept throwing at him. A knowing smile returned to her face as she eyed her son with a suspicious glint in her golden orbs. "You are very protective of this girl's reputation. First, you don't want to make her your concubine and now you don't want me to think of her as your pet. What is she then Sesshomaru? What is she to you?" his mother interrogated.

"She is nothing," he seethed, "merely a test subject of the tenseiga,"

"If that's true, then you won't object to me sending some of my warriors to kill her? It really would be a nuisance to keep in relations with her, all your enemies would just use her as leverage. Not to mention that feelings for a human weaken a demon's strength, and result in a miserable end. You father was proof of that," Inukimi answered while brushing her fingertips over her claws as if she were talking about changing the paint color of the castle walls.

"I'll kill every last one of the men you send," he promised darkly as his claws began to glow a light green from the venom that had started to seep off his claws.

"Will you? Then I suppose it'd be a waste of time. I do enjoy keeping my staff alive," Inukimi replied, completely ignoring the threatening stance her son was now in as she stretched her arm out to survey her claws.

"I'd like to know this human of yours," his mother stated absentmindedly after a pause. Sesshomaru let his hand drop to the ground and relaxed his stance in slight surprise of his mother's words. _It could be a trap,_ he thought with another inward growl, _she'd probably kill Rin on the spot_. He could fight off his mother of course. While she was the leader of the West he was still far more powerful. InuTashio had been more powerful than his mother, and Sesshomaru had surpassed his father's strength long ago.

"You cannot blame me for my curiosity," Inukimi stated with a slightly amused smirk, "you've never held feelings for _anyone._ Yet when that little human girl died eleven years ago, it seemed as if a part of you died along with her," she added before gently reaching out to caress Sesshomaru's face. Though Sesshomaru never allowed anyone to touch him, he allowed his mother's hand to remain on his jaw. Inukimi was never known for being overly affectionate, and expressing any sort of affection was rare coming from the demoness. She had never shown any signs of love towards Sesshomaru when she had raised him, and had shown even less towards InuTashio. So he allowed it, for now.

"I am not a cruel mother Sesshomaru. If the girl makes you happy," Inukimi visibly shivered in disgust at the use of the word 'happy' before continuing, "than I will not object in allowing her to live here. I only have one condition,"

"What would be your condition?" Sesshomaru asked, and hated how hopeful his voice sounded even as he tried to mask it. _Hope, this is what hope feels like,_ he thought to himself, bemused. He had never hoped for anything, he had always _known_ things. Known he would become a powerful dog demon, known he would take over his father's castle, known that all would fear his wrath should someone upset him. But he had never hoped for something. Hope was a promise that something wasn't certain, and he _hated_ realizing that his mother had all the control in Rin's possible future with him.

"She will become _my_ ward," Inukimi replied with a deadly smile before removing her hand from his face and letting it fall to her side. Instantly Sesshomaru knew his mother had something planned. He recognized that smile, it mirrored his own that would cross his lips when he had the upper hand in a situation, _and knew it_.

"What use would Rin be to you?" Sesshomaru asked, not caring that his suspicions were written all over his face. Inukimi eyed him for a moment before replying, seeming to enjoy the somewhat emotional side of her son that was coming to the surface all of the sudden.

"If you wish her to be by your side, and be taken seriously as a companion rather than a whore, than she must be trained in becoming a Lady of the West. And who better to teach her than _the_ Lady of the West?" Inukimi asked back, "she will not become your mate by being trained to become the Lady of the West. But if she wishes to be respected, and remain alive, than she has to become involved in demon society," she added and Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as he realized his hands were tied. Though his mother was right, and Rin would be seen as a plaything or supper without being deemed as important for a human, he couldn't shake the feeling that his mother was trapping him. _What is she scheming?_ He wondered as he thought over his options.

"I will not harm her if she were to 'suddenly appear' on my doorstep," Inukimi promised before lazily stringing her fingers through her silvery hair, "I'll leave you to your pondering, but do not take too long. I _might _decide to change my mind,"

(Divider)

_*Inukimi = Sesshomaru's mother. I don't know her real name, and not sure if her name was ever mentioned in the manga. I have seen this name pop up a lot when I search for her Online though, and kind of like it, so I'm going to use it :) _

_Again I'm sorry for taking FOREVER with this chapter, but I had writer's block for a while until now. Oh how I love when bursts of inspiration hits me at random times! :) I also really tried to write more of my characters' feelings in this chapter because I've gotten a lot of criticism on leaving that out in my writing. Constructive criticism of course! And I love it, so if you catch any mistakes or want to see more of something in my writing don't be afraid to tell me!! _


	10. Chapter 10

_**PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU START READING THIS CHAPTER: IT WILL START GETTING REALLY DARK/VIOLENT FROM THIS POINT ON, MORE THAN IT HAS IN MY PAST CHAPTERS. **Just wanted everyone to know beforehand so it won't take anyone by surprise :). _

_Review Corner_

_sessxrin3: glad you liked it! I wasn't planning on Rin going immediately over, I wanted to add a little angst and drama before they both head over to Inukimi, but they'll go I promise! :) thanks for the review!_

_Hattaru: I really took your review to heart when I read it :) and I think I like the direction you were pointing at. While Rin DOES love Sesshomaru, there still is the trust issue that they'll have to rebuild again or Rin will always been worried that he'll dump her somewhere else. I really tried to push my story in that direction rather than have her run to Sesshomaru all happy and forgiving. Thanks for the review!_

_Rickashay: Aww, and I thought I was being so unique with Inukimi taking Rin in...care to share the other stories that incorporate that idea? I really loved the idea when it popped in my head and I'd love to see it in action in other stories too :) thanks for the review!_

_CutieSOS: haha I think power thingie is a great name too :P well Sesshomaru will want to take Rin back, but I going to try to add some more drama in my story by making her resilient to him. He did leave her in a human village for four years against her will, so the trust between them is broken and will take a lot of work to be regained. But it'll be fun :) thanks for the review!_

_Phyrestorm: haha loved the enthusiasm in your review :) and I actually didn't have the plan to make her powers any different when I started this story, but the story seems to have a mind of its own and that's where it took me. Thanks for the review!_

_Angel-VII: Haha well Rin has only been around Sesshomaru all her life, who's always cold and emotionless, so she doesn't really know what to think of both men who wear their hearts on their sleeves in a matter of speaking lol. It was my plan from the beginning, since I always felt like Rin wouldn't be able to really see any other man like she saw Sesshomaru. Loved your review! :)_

_Sesshrin devoter: glad you like the new icon :) I do too, it's soo cute! While I do agree with that fact that the age to marry was so much younger during that time, it still felt strange to alter that for my story. So I believe I have the same problem as the other writers you spoke of do ^.^ but thanks for the review and it's so nice to hear from you again!_

_Cassie: aww glad you love my story :) I love hearing that, it makes me feel all warm and bubbly inside. _

_Daddy's special request: glad you like it, hopefully you'll like where it's going too :) thanks for the review! _

(Divider)

_I can hear her heart beat..._Shippo thought as he turned his light green gaze towards the woman standing beside him. Her long brown locks traveled in the direction of the wind as strands of it framed and caressed her pale face. No matter how much sun she got, or how many hours she spent working in the fields Rin's pale complexion never seemed to change. He liked it though, this consistency that Rin seemed to have. It made him feel safe in the fact that he trusted her, and that she would never change.

Her dark chocolate eyes overlooked their village with an accepting light sparkling in her chocolate eyes, an emotion he wished he could feel for the village. He had never felt like he could call their village home. Home in his mind was somewhere with his loved ones who showered him in unconditional love. _If only things...could be like they used to be..._Shippo thought somberly as he reminisced on when he was still a young boy traveling with Inuyasha's group. It had been the closest thing to a family Shippo had ever had, and he missed it terribly. He missed the acceptance he felt from everyone, and how _normal_ he felt traveling with them. Never had he felt _hated _or _judged_ for being a demon while he traveled with Inuyasha and Kagome, or from the others.

"Shippo?" Rin's soft voice called as her hand rested gently on his arm. Shippo blinked out of his thoughts and noticed that his eyelashes were covered in moisture. He had been crying. Rather than brushing the tears away with his sleeve, he turned his head upward as he stared at the clouds overhead. A sad smile appeared on his lips as he felt a tear streak down his cheek.

"It's nothing...just remembering things," he murmured as he kept his eyes fastened on the clouds and refused to look Rin in the eyes for fear that he'd see pity in those dark depths. _I don't need her pity_ he thought bitterly, _I need...I need her love_. There, he had said it, even if it wasn't out loud, he had still admitted it.

"Would you like to tell me about it?" Rin asked and Shippo noticed that she hadn't let go of his arm yet. Unable to keep his eyes off of her any longer he turned towards her and was surprised when she reached out with her kimono sleeve to wipe away the tear streaks from his face. Her touch was gentle and her eyes were soft in understanding and warmth.

Since finding out that she could no longer become a miko Rin had changed into the kimono that she had worn the day she had been dropped off at Kaede's. He recognized the designs because they mirrored the ones that were on Sesshomaru's kimono. _His crest...his __**mark**__,_ he thought as he continued to stare at Rin with his mouth slightly a gap. Back then the kimono had been a little too large for her thin frame, but she had matured and grown into them. That fact didn't go unnoticed by Shippo, and he couldn't help the gulp he made when he felt his body heat up and lustful thoughts fill his head.

This...fascination with her had only started a few weeks ago, and he was unsure what could've triggered it. Rin hadn't changed anything about her, other than her kimono, but he was sure that a piece of clothing couldn't be causing such a reaction out of him. Her hair cascaded down her back like always, she had dropped the side ponytail a few days after arriving at Kaede's, and her body hadn't changed other than grow fuller in some places.

_Her body..._he thought as he remembered that day he had saved her from Daichi. The day she had been fully exposed to him for the first time, and what seeing her transformation had done to him. She had looked...perfect to his virgin eyes. He had bathed with Kagome and Sango before, but at such a young age he hadn't even reacted to the sight of their naked bodies. But to Rin...he had felt "tingles" of a sort coarse through his body and stop at his groin. Something had come over him, and for a moment he completely forgot about Daichi, until he saw him retreat after Rin had harmed him with her powers.

It took all he had to keep focused on the battle with the cat demon when he kept picturing Rin's naked body. He felt horrible and sick because she saw him as a brother but...he wanted to _do_ things to her. Every night after that attack he fantasized about caressing her body and stripping her bare for his eyes alone. He had imagined kissing her lips, her face, her neck, and her breasts as she sighed underneath him begging for her release. _Begging for him_.

"Please stop Rin," Shippo murmured as his hand came up to gently brush her hand away. Her eyes widened slightly in confusion before she let her hand drop to her side. She adverted her gaze and stared at the ground, but Shippo didn't miss the slight hurt he had seen in her eyes. He wanted desperately to embrace her, but knew that he could no longer do that without wanting more. He could no longer innocently hold her for comfort like he used to. It would be too much, _she'd _be too much to handle if he grabbed her now and wrapped his arms around her like he wanted to. He hated seeing Rin hurt or upset over anything, she was too happy of an individual to cry. But most of all, he didn't want to be the_ cause_ of those tears.

"Forgive me," Shippo whispered and Rin's eyes shot up to his face in surprise before she cocked her head slightly to the side. "For what?" she asked back. He pulled a small smile before gently cupping her chin and angling her head so they could look into each others eyes.

"For upsetting you. I know that you care about me, but I-" Shippo was cut off by the sound of a loud demonic bellow and screams coming from the village. Both Shippo and Rin turned towards the village in shock and horror when their eyes found the source of that bellow.

(Divider)

"Sesshomaru," his mother snipped as she walked into his chambers. Scrolls of all kinds were scattered across his desk and there were crumpled pieces of parchment that cluttered the large room. Inukimi scolded at the mess before turning her cold eyes to her son. "What are you doing in here?" she asked as she made her way over to him, gracefully stepping over the mess as she walked.

"Looking over marriage proposals and lands that each demon lord owns," Sesshomaru replied and Inukimi couldn't mask the slight shock that appeared on her face at his answer. "What of your human girl?" she didn't hesitate to ask. Sesshomaru kept his head on the present piece of paper as he spoke, making sure that his mother couldn't read his expression.

"I have left her in her village for too long. She has adjusted there, and seems happy. I will not be the cause of her misery for my own selfish desires," he answered. His thoughts flooded back to the time only a month ago that he had gone to visit her. It had been a long time, but he had been...overeager to see her. Using the word overeager already seemed out of character for him to say, but he was unsure of what other word to call the feelings he had felt at seeing Rin again. He had felt strangely alone for the first time in centuries. While he always welcomed solitude, recently it had become a quite bothersome and unwelcome emotion.

As he pondered why he was in such a state of melancholy his thoughts turned to Rin and he was hit with flashbacks of her smile and her happy words that described her feelings of him....

(Flashback)

Lord Sesshomaru!" a fifteen year old Rin called to him as he brought his golden gaze up from a recent kill to spot the young girl running towards him. His jaw and claws were covered in blood and he knew it was dangerous for her to come near him in such a state. Any demon went through a "killer's high" after a kill and their appetite for blood intensified, which was why humans never attack a demon who just made a kill.

But there was no fear in Rin's eyes, or hesitation in her footsteps as she approached him. He wasn't sure if it was plain ignorance of the danger, or she was foolish enough to trust him. He lightly growled in warning when she was within striking distance, but her footsteps never wavered. Without waiting for his permission she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug.

He shut his eyes tightly to keep his need to kill in check at the feel of her body against him. _She doesn't know the danger, she doesn't understand!_ He thought as his claws cracked and he felt his fangs enlarge in his mouth. "Rin," he managed to choke out through his demonic stage.

"Thank you Lord Sesshomaru!" she exclaimed before pulling back to smile up at him, her arms still intertwined behind his neck. Her happy smile and bright eyes never faltered even though he was sure that his eyes were blood red and his fangs easily visible. Not to mention the amount of blood that was still coating his face and claws. _Even in this form...she still is so accepting,_ Sesshomaru mused as he took in the girl before him. Her hair had been kept the same length as in her childhood and rested at the edge of her hips, and the tiny side ponytail was still a hairstyle she preferred even at her mature age. Mature, at least by human standards. He was over six hundred and thirty years old and was still considered a teen among other demons.

"You're a mess!" Rin giggled, bringing him out of his thoughts and he was even slightly more surprised at her actions when she reached up to wipe away the blood from his face. Her hands were gentle, and it felt more like a caress than an innocent cleaning. Her eyes softened as she continued on her work, and didn't seem to mind that she was staining her brand new kimono.

"There!" she smiled and took a step back to survey him, "good as new," she added with a huff of self pride. Sesshomaru no longer feared that he would hurt her when she continued to smile up at him in adoration. Something about her aura calmed him to an almost disturbing degree. Whenever she appeared he felt at peace with his inner demon. No matter the situation or the danger that could befall her, it always seemed that Rin could calm him before he lost complete control.

"Why do you not fear me Rin? Do you not understand the danger of my other form?" Sesshomaru scolded, more in hopes of protecting her the next time than actually hurting her feelings. Rin stared at him for a moment before turning her back on him to look at the setting sun.

"Do you see the sun Sesshomaru?" Rin asked and continued to keep her back to him. "Yes," he answered a little impatiently. Why was she asking such an obvious question? Who could not see the sun other than the blind?

"Everyday it comes up to warm the planet and promote life. But when the sun sets, no plants or animals fear that it will never return again, because they know that it will come back the next day. Flower petals stretch out to accept the sun and do not shrink away when it goes, because they know and trust that the sun will be there to warm them again," Rin explained before giving Sesshomaru a sideways glance.

At that moment Sesshomaru was taken a back at the beauty of his ward. Her brown hair shimmered in the sun light and her eyes held so much knowledge that it seemed almost too much for a fifteen year old human girl to have. Her lips pulled back into a gentle smile and her features softened to such a degree that Sesshomaru didn't seem able to look away.

"Well it's the same way I feel about you, Lord Sesshomaru. You are the sun that I know will always be there to help me keep on living no matter what. The sun will never disappear, and neither will my trust for you," she stated as her smile widened and she gave a happy giggle before raising her arms above her head. She closed her eyes and twirled around before she began to hum. The silks of her kimono moved effortlessly with her body as she danced, the last rays of the sun outlining her features each time she turned her face towards the sky...

As his flashback ended he was brought back by the sound of a familiar happy giggle. Almost as if being summoned by the sound he walked towards the edge of the village only to spot Rin a few feet away. His chest clenched with an unknown pain and he ignored the slight discomfort he felt as he took her in. She had grown slightly since the last time he had seen her playing her game with the fox demon named Shippo.

Her body had filled out even more than before, and her face had hardened slightly. He could only assume it was due to her miko training. He had heard from the old priestess of her plans to remain pure to protect the Jewel once the old priestess passed into the next life. His jaw clenched at the idea of her promising such a thing. Did she feel so pained at being left there that she refused to marry _any_ man? Had he broken the trust she had given him that she had promised would always be there, no matter what?

Annoyed at all this uncertainty he felt over a mere human woman he took a step forward to make his presence known. But before he could call out to Rin he saw another make his way towards her. The young demon slayer boy jogged to her side and took her in a light hug before beginning to converse with her. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed at the way he noted Rin's smile and laughter that emitted from her lips at whatever Kohaku had said.

A possessive growl tore from his lips, but he easily masked himself away when he saw the demon slayer's eyes narrow and the boy give a quick survey of the open field they were standing in. _Foolish boy, if you cannot sense me than you are not fit to watch over her_ Sesshomaru thought icily as he continued to mask his physical appearance and his scent from the couple a mere few feet away.

Though he could've walked right up to them without a problem, he couldn't help the pause he made at the sound of Rin's chime bell laughter. _She's happy...here_, he thought as his eyes lowered and he let out a sigh. _I can deny her nothing...if she enjoys it here in the village protecting other humans, than I shall not force her to leave_ he thought, though didn't deny the fact that he was disappointed at the turn of events. He had hoped to have Rin's bright eyes and wide smile directed at him at least one last time...

(End Flash back)

"Sesshomaru," his mother called, her voice soft but Sesshomaru detected the icy warning underneath her calm tone. She must've been calling his name a couple of times without an answer to get such an angry response out of her. He mentally shook his head to escape from his thoughts and from his memories as he stared back at his mother.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice just as smooth with a hint of agitation, "I'm doing as you asked and looking over possibilities for a mate,"

"I'm sure you won't be looking at those scrolls after what I have to tell you. It's about Rin," Inukimi replied icily, exerting her dominance over her son. Sesshomaru's eyes bled red at the obvious challenge she was presenting. The knowledge that she had something to say about Rin was the only thing that kept him from leaping at her throat. He set the scroll down on his desk and closed his eyes for a moment to get himself under control before golden eyes met and Sesshomaru stood.

"Tell me what you know about Rin,"

(Divider)

"Shippo, wait!" Rin cried helplessly to the red headed boy a couple of feet a head of her, "it's too dangerous!" she screamed with all her might as tears pricked her eyes, but the fox demon didn't even seem to register her voice. He kept running towards the village, and towards all the burning houses that were disintegrating into dust.

People were running, screaming through the village as demons seeming to come out of no where began burning houses to the ground. Rin heard screaming of men being eaten alive and the blood curdling cries of women getting raped. Children were screaming for their mothers and fathers, while others brave enough were clashing their swords against demon claws. All the sounds seemed to be surrounding her and Rin stopped mid-run to cover her ears. She fell to her knees with a sob as she closed her eyes and willed it all to go away. The devastation seemed all too familiar to her as she imagined the fateful night her family was brutally murdered.

The men's screams she heard from the village reminded her of her brothers, who were tortured to death by the bandits. The womens' shrieks reminded her of her mother's rape, and the clashing of swords reminded Rin of her father fighting to protect the rest of his family even as he sobbed as his beloved was raped and killed. Rin held her hands against her head harder as she let out a scream of rage and despair. Rage at the loss she was forced to bear so many years ago, and at the loss so many others would feel after tonight.

_It isn't fair! Why must I continually suffer like this?_ Rin thought angrily as she felt tears begin to streak down her face. Why did everyone that she felt close to have to die? Why, when she tried so hard to make people happy, did she end up hurting them? "Make it stop, please make it stop...Lord Sesshomaru," Rin breathed as she calmed herself down. Though he was not there, Rin couldn't help the small plea she made. Lord Sesshomaru always could stop her pain, always knew how to stop her reoccurring nightmares. Just saying his name seemed to relax her, and she was able to breath levelly again.

_Lord Sesshomaru, lend me your strength,_ Rin begged inwardly as she let her hands fall and got to her feet. She closed her eyes for a moment before they shot open with determination burning in her dark depths. _She_ would _fight_ these invading demons and _save_ her village. Rubbing her face with her kimono sleeve, Rin erased the evidence of her tears and hurried down the hillside into the village.

Her feet seemed to almost fly over the ground as she dashed into the chaos of smoke, screams, and fire. Her eyes darted back and forth as she tried to look for landmarks that struck her as familiar to let her know where she was in the village. She continued to run through the streets until she spotted Kaede's home a top the hillside at the edge of the village. Her heart soared in hope when she saw the old priestess warding off demons with her arrows. Wanting to help as much as she could, Rin ran towards Kaede and was thankful when the priestess shot and purified a demon that had almost sunk his fangs into her arm.

"Rin! There is an extra bow and some arrows in my hut. Grab them, quickly!" Kaede ordered as she she grabbed another arrow from the ground. Rin nodded at her before running into the hut. It was virtually untouched by demon attack and everything looked in order. Rin was thankful for at least that much. Kaede had become a second mother to her, and she didn't know what she would've done if she had been killed.

Rin spotted the bow near the fire pit in the middle of the room and made a run to grab for it. Her eyes fell on a barrel of arrows a few feet away and grabbed it before shifting it over one shoulder. With her weapons in tow Rin ran back outside to find that Kaede was being overwhelmed by the demon attack and steadily running out of arrows. Grabbing a hand full from her barrel, Rin dropped the arrows near Kaede's feet before running down the hillside to try and ward off other demons attacking the rest of the village.

"Rin, it is too dangerous! Stay here!" she heard Kaede yell after her, but Rin paid her no mind. If it were possible to save at least some lives tonight, than Rin was going to take the risk of losing hers. Reaching behind her, Rin grabbed the tail of an arrow and quickly knocked it and aimed for the chest of a nearby centipede demon that was coming close to biting a young boy's arm off. Feeling her powers swirl around her, Rin let the white aura surround her arrow before releasing it.

The arrow shot with striking precision right through the demon's heart. It gave out a scream of rage before it disintegrated. The young boy looked up from the ground into Rin's eyes before making a mad run for her, grabbing her untouched arrow on the way over to her. He stopped a few steps away from her and presented her with the arrow. With him this close to her Rin was able to recognize him, "Haru," she whispered in shock, remembering him as the little boy who always tagged along with her and Kaede to collect herbs for medicine. Before her now, he was barely recognizable, his face was covered in mud and scratches and his clothes were torn.

Rin's eyes softened as she walked over to him and embraced him in a tight hug, knowing that the little boy must be terrified. He stiffened at her touch before she felt his body shake and a sob tear from his lips.

"Thank you," he murmured and pulled away to look at her, tears on the verge of falling down his cheeks. Rin's eyes softened further and she nodded at him before taking the arrow he provided. "Stay close to me," she ordered and the little boy nodded before running beside her as Rin searched for the next demon.

It didn't take long, a large ogre demon stood before them holding a woman captive in his large hand. "Sister!" Rin heard Haru cry as he reached out a hand towards the woman. The woman's eyes turned from the ogre to the boy and they welled with tears before she motioned for him to run.

"Run Haru! Run now!" she screamed at him, but he stubbornly stood by Rin's side and refused to leave. Not wanting to waste anymore precious time Rin took the arrow Haru had given her and knocked it against her bow. The ogre stared at her for a moment, as if curious rather than scared of her actions. Rin called upon her powers once more and surrounded her arrow with it's white light before letting it go.

The ogre barely had time to react before he disintegrated and Haru's sister fell to the ground. She coughed a few times, but was able to stand when Haru ran to her side. Rin felt her heart ache when she saw them embrace and whisper words of comfort to one another. If only one of her brothers had survived all those years ago and she didn't have to run on her own as what was once her family disappeared in flames and under rubble.

"Haru, take your sister and find a safe place out of the village! Take as many survivors you find with you!" Rin yelled over to the young boy. He nodded towards her in understanding before grabbing his older sister's hand and pulling her along side him. Rin watched them go for a moment before returning to the task at hand and knocked another arrow when she felt the presence of demonic aura.

A large lizard demon appeared from behind a nearby hut and made a jump for her, but Rin was able to hit it before its body hit the ground. She then spotted a large bear demon making it's way towards a family huddled a few feet away and grabbed her fallen arrow before knocking it and aiming at the Bear's head. But just as she was about to shoot she heard the desperate screams of Haru from behind her.

"Lady Rin!" he screamed and she quickly turned around to see a large cougar demon cornering Haru, his sister, and a few other children Rin assumed he had found. She felt herself break out into a sweat as she tried to think of where to shoot. She wouldn't be fast enough to shoot one demon, call upon her powers again, and shoot at the other. She needed to make a choice. She let out a cry of despair as she looked between both demons and was about to give up when she heard the sound of chains making contact with skin and a loud growl of anger from the Bear demon. Turning, she spotted Kohaku's weapon tied around the Bear's legs and it was immobilized as Kohaku came at him with his sword.

Thankful that Kohaku had that demon under control she turned around and shot at the cougar demon without further delay. The large cat disintegrated right as it's front paw came up to rip off Haru's head. The little boy had his eyes tightly closed, but when the attack he was expecting never came he opened them only to see that the threat was gone.

"Lady Rin!" he called happily in thanks and Rin smiled at him before motioning him to go. He nodded at her before grabbing his sister's hand along with a little girl's hand who stood next to him. The other children followed quickly behind the trio and Rin had her arrow aimed as she kept them in her line of vision, in case another demon decided to pounce. Luckily the children were able to make it to the edge of the village and Rin watched as they ran up the hill next to Kaede's hut and out of sight.

_At least they'll be safe for now,_ Rin thought as she loosened her hold on her bow. A motion that she soon regretted when she heard the loud familiar shriek come from behind her. Tensing her muscles she pivoted around only to see Daichi a few feet away in his human form. A large smirk spread across his face as his eyes traveled down her body.

"I never realized that you were the girl that traveled along with Lord Sesshomaru years ago, until I saw his crest on your kimono. While I do prefer this kimono to your miko uniform, you would look much better wearing the mark of the East," Daichi stated calmly as he took a step forward.

"Don't come any closer Daichi!" Rin warned as she pulled her arrow back and aimed at the cat demon's chest. "My, my, but my name does sound heavenly coming from your lips," Daichi murmured in pleasure as he ignored her warning and took a couple steps towards her.

"Did you bring all these demons here?" Rin asked angrily as she pulled her arrow back even further and began collecting her aura around the tip. The cat demon faltered at the sight of her white aura, but composed himself and flashed her a toothy grin.

"And what if I did?" he asked and spread his arms wide, "I couldn't simply _allow_ that fox pup to defeat me without a retaliation. His victory was a fluke, and I have come to prove that fact as well as pick up a prize for my efforts," he added and nodded in her direction when he talked of his "prize" he had come for. Rin's eyes narrowed at his words before pushing more of her power into her aura.

Daichi was able to take human form, a task that only the most powerful demons could conduct. Which meant that Rin wouldn't be able to get by with using the amount of power she had been using against the other demons. Holding her bow steady and ready to release her fingers, Rin let out a hiss of surprise and adverted her bow when Shippo's fox form appeared from behind a cloud of smoke and made a mad grab for Daichi. His large jaws clamped down on the demon's shoulder and whisked him away into the heavy smoke in the blink of an eye.

Rin's jaw tightened slightly in anger that Shippo was wasting his time with the cat demon when she could've just disintegrated him, but had no time to argue when she heard a high pitched scream coming from a nearby hut. Holding her bow ready for attack, she quickly ran over to the door and pushed the curtain hanging at the entrance aside. A woman was huddled against a corner with her newborn cuddled to her breast as she stared horrified at the bird demon before her. Rin hurriedly knocked her arrow and shot at the demon, disintegrating him on the spot.

The woman let out a breath of relief before sending Rin a thankful smile. The woman's baby stopped it's screaming and stared bewildered at Rin for a moment before falling fast asleep in it's mother's arms. "Come," Rin urged softly and the woman hurried to her side as Rin took a hold of one of her arms, "Head for the forest and wait there until the attack is over. It'll be safer than staying here," Rin added and the woman thanked her repeatedly before jogging towards the direction Rin had pointed. Rin watched her go until she was out of sight and hurried on.

The sight that befell her when she finally reached the middle of the village was horrifying. Demon and human corpses a like spread across the ground and walls of huts. Their blood intermingled and created a dark river that seemed to swirl around the village square that signified the middle of the village. Rin let out a horrified gasp as she frantically searched for survivors, but couldn't seem to stray her eyes away from the body of corpses.

"Rin!" she heard Kohaku scream and she turned towards the demon slayer as his body became visible when he emerged from a cloud of smoke. He waved his weapon in greeting and let out a loud cough before reaching for his mask strapped to his shoulder. He hastily fitted it over his mouth and tied the straps around the back of his head before letting out sigh of relief. He then reached over his other shoulder and grabbed for another mask that had been tied there.

Without asking for her permission he stepped behind Rin and fastened the mask over her mouth. Rin couldn't stop the large sigh of relief that emitted from her at the ability to breathe freely again. "Where did you get this second mask?" Rin asked, her voice slightly muffled from the mask. "My sister gave it to me when I saw her last. She had made it for me and said I should use it if someone I care about is in danger of poison or smoke intake," Kohaku replied and Rin couldn't help the small smile and softening of her eyes at the mention of him caring for her.

"Now c'mon, there's no time to waste!" Kohaku called as he intertwined his hand with hers and pulled her along side him.

(Divider)

"Welcome Lady Inukimi and Lord Sesshomaru. It's been a long time since I've seen _you_ my lord," Akihito greeted with a solemn smile as the two dog demons entered his corridor. Sesshomaru merely huffed at him in slight agitation while Inukimi gracefully bowed.

"Yes Akihito, it has been a long time since my son has been in my castle. Though I simply could not keep the information you gave me about his human to myself. I need you to tell him the girl's future," Inukimi replied, her cold eyes dark and calculating as she surveyed the older man.

Sesshomaru couldn't help the doubts that filled his head as he stared down at the human. He was a pathetically frail man that was unable to even stand any longer due to his aging body, and yet his mother somehow found him useful to her. He had heard of the man countless times from Inukimi, and about the powers he supposedly controlled.

A fortune teller, that's what his mother had labeled him as on multiple occasions. She had mentioned that he had been able to accurately predict the death of his father and the results of many demonic wars that the West had gone through. He had tipped her off when it was beneficial to fight, and when it was better to comply to an opponent's demands. _But he's human,_ Sesshomaru thought angrily, _he has no powerful aura nor peculiar scent that would pertain to his unique abilities_. The human could be working for one of their life long enemies, or being bribed by them to ward off his mother's forces. Yet his mother kept the human there, and even gave him his own _servants_ to _care_ for him.

"Ah yes, you do have a mouth on you my lady," Akihito smiled and Sesshomaru was slightly surprised when his mother returned it. Akihito adverted his eyes from Inukimi and switched his gaze over to Sesshomaru before continuing. "Lady Inukimi has told me about your human girl that you have been considering bringing here. I strongly suggest that you do so, quickly," Sesshomaru tensed at the urgency in the man's voice and couldn't help the redness that had started to appear in his eyes at the hint of Rin being in danger.

"What do you know about Rin?" Sesshomaru asked, his darker demonic voice overtaking his monotone one. Akihito didn't even flinch at the sound of his inner demon, and seemed even _more_ comfortable around him. As if calling on his demon was something he had expected, and it calmed him that he had been right.

"If you leave her there, she will surely die," he answered solemnly and Sesshomaru snarled at him before making a mad grab for his robes. "Why should I believe you?" he growled at him and Akihito placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Because you're reacting...like this," and he motioned to Sesshomaru's face and hand that was holding his clothes in a death grip. Sesshomaru outwardly flinched at the show of emotion and let the man go before taking a step back. Akihito fell to the ground roughly and let out a grunt of discomfort before rubbing his back.

"Do you have no respect for your elders? This body isn't what it used to be..." Akihito grumbled, but Sesshomaru openly ignored him. Akihito glanced at him for a moment, as if expecting an apology, but then let out a sigh. He started squirming on the pillow that was underneath him until he was comfortable before continuing.

"The fox demon, Shippo, has angered one of the lords of the East, the one named Daichi. He is a cat demon who has just recently inherited his father's kingdom. He had been traveling Westward to try and observe his enemies to plot an attack, but was distracted when he spotted your human," Akihito stated. Sesshomaru kept his emotions in check and continued to keep an emotionless, slightly bored expression on his face. Even as he was silently fuming at the mention of Daichi being distracted by Rin. By the way the old human emphasized 'distracted' Sesshomaru knew that it wasn't an innocent curiosity in her, but a much darker more dangerous desire for her.

"He was immediately attracted to her and demanded that she become his mate. When she refused he intended to force himself on her, but was interrupted by Shippo. The two demons began to fight and Daichi was beaten and sent running with his tail between his legs. But Daichi will want to retaliate, and won't come alone. He'll end up summoning forces to attack the village and make them suffer before taking Rin captive," Akihito paused for a moment to search Sesshomaru's gaze, but when he found nothing he continued,

"He will fail, eventually being defeated and killed by the fox demon. But all will not be well for your human. Driven by the thrill of such a victory, Shippo's demonic powers will surge and he will no longer be himself. He will give in to his demonic power to defeat Daichi and will end up succumbing to it completely. Once he returns to his humanoid form his senses will pick up Rin's fertility and, unable to resist, he will rape her and kill her," Akihito stated darkly as he continued to study Sesshomaru's expression.

"What will you do Sesshomaru?" Inukimi asked curiously, but Sesshomaru did not answer either. In fact he had barely registered that they were awaiting an answer from him. _Rin,_ he thought as he down casted his eyes for a moment, dare he try and capture her from the life she had made for herself so she could survive?_ She'll fight me, hate me for taking her, and I will not __**stand**__ for that_, he thought angrily. He knew that leaving the girl in a human village would stir tears, loneliness, even depression but to suddenly sweep her back into his care would only reopen the hope that he had seen in her four years ago.

He and Rin could not be together, he would _not_ repeat his father's mistake. But he also knew that he could not ignore Akihito's warning either. He had lost Rin once, and the pain in his chest had been so astronomical that he could not even fathom having to go through it a second time. Especially because he had a way of preventing her death, a way to allow her a few more years of life.

"I suggest you make a decision soon, or you'll be burying the girl's corpse," Akihito promised in a matter-of-fact tone, a trait that many demons possessed that surprised Sesshomaru. His warning was enough to get Sesshomaru's feet moving. No matter how much Rin would hate him, spite him, even want to kill him, any of those options were better than a dead Rin.

(Divider)

"Kohaku, look out!" Rin cried out as the demon slayer pivoted on his foot to slice his sword through a cockroach demon's head. The corpse fell to the ground at his feet and Kohaku quickly jumped over the body to clang his sword against a dragon demon's claws. Rin turned her head away from Kohaku's masterful skills at demon killing to shoot at a bird demon that was flying straight for her. It let out a shriek of pain as it disintegrated and her arrow fell to the floor. Rin dashed for the fallen weapon before knocking her arrow and shooting at a cat demon that was galloping towards a few villagers.

The fighting continued as Kohaku and Rin inched slowly through the village trying to save as many people as they could. Rin was proud at all the lives she was saving, but couldn't get the sight of human corpses out of her mind. One body in particular wouldn't leave her thoughts, the body of a young woman that she had found murdered in her own hut.

Rin hadn't recognized her, but the sight of her had been enough to cause the sensation of tears to prick her eyes. She had been sprawled across the floor in a pool of her own blood. Her legs had been spread apart so far that it looked like they were dislocated from her hips and there was a dark stream of blood coating her inner thighs. Rin had to hold in the need to sob at the realization that she had been raped by her attacker, and it didn't stop there. Her chest had been ripped open far enough that Rin could see the inside of her ribcage and that her organs had been removed, or eaten. The smell alone was enough to cause Rin to grab her stomach and cover her mouth to prevent herself from vomiting. Not wanting to see that horrifying image any longer Rin had ran as fast as she could away from the hut.

Rin had even killed the ogre demon that had exited that hut, only a moment after he lifted the hay curtain away from the woman's hut. _If only I came a bit sooner! I could've saved that woman's life.._.Rin thought as tears of sorrow and guilt streamed down her cheeks.

Rin's mind returned to the present at the sound of Kohaku's calls and turned just in time to shoot at an ogre demon that had been close enough to lope off her head. After its body disintegrated Rin hurried to Kohaku's side and the demon slayer took her in a swift hug before spinning her around so they stood back-to-back as demons from all around surrounded the two.

"You've been doing great Rin, just a little bit more and I think they'll surrender," Kohaku stated hopefully from behind his mask and Rin could only nod. She could only hope that they'd leave, but if they were under Daichi's orders they may be more frightened of their lord than them.

The group of demons grunted and growled at the two, and Rin knocked her arrow before trying to think of which target to hit first. If she hit one, then she was positive that they'd all pounce to fight for their fallen comrade. Rin continued to contemplate what to do when she saw Kohaku's arm reach up and begin to spin, signifying that he was going to try and cut off all their heads at once with his weapon.

"Wait Kohaku," Rin called and Kohaku let his arm relax as the weapon fell softly to the ground.

"Do you have a plan, Rin?" he asked and Rin turned towards him with a confident smirk. "No, but I have an idea. If it doesn't work I'm going to need you to fight off as many demons as you can, because they're going to be angry," Rin replied and Kohaku's eyes narrowed, but he gave her a swift nod.

"You can do it, Rin," he told her confidently and turned his back on her to face the group of demons still vastly approaching them. Rin let her bow and arrow fall to the ground as she closed her eyes and focused her attention on each demon's aura. A moment later she felt the pull of her powers and slowly opened her eyes to gaze at the few demons in her line of vision. Their aura's swirled and spun around their bodies in an array of colors as she focused on them all. The auras began to slow in their motions before they began to twirl and swerve towards her as if summoned.

Rin noticed the demons that were being affected turn their heads this way and that in confusion and fear as their auras began leaving their bodies and circulating around Rin. One boar demon let out a squeal of distress before pivoting on its hooves and headed in the opposite direction. The other demons watched the boar run before growling and grunting amongst one another cautiously. A few more that Rin hadn't even taken aura from hightailed it out of the circle and headed for the hills in shrieks and squeals of distress and fear.

Rin focused on a few more demons next to the ones she had auras from and began calling their auras to her. Purple, green, yellow, and red streams of light began swirling and twisting around her body in a slow dance as the demons surveyed her in shock and confusion. Rin's light show seemed enough to scare the rest of the group because a moment later Kohaku and Rin were standing in an empty clearing.

Rin waited a second longer before relaxing her body and allowing the demon auras to scatter and return to their owners. The ribbons of light dispersed in a flash and it almost looked like shooting stars of all colors shot out from Rin's body as she fell to her knees, completely exhausted.

"Rin!" Kohaku cried before kneeling next to her and pulling her to his chest, "are you alright?" he asked worriedly as he moved a stray strand of dark brown hair from Rin's face. She looked up at him with a weak smile before nodding. "I'll be alright, you go on a head," she urged and Kohaku stared down at her for a moment before shaking his head. "I won't leave you here, unprotected," he stated and Rin could only smile at his devotion, it was quite admirable.

"I can protect myself, Kohaku," Rin stated and gently brushed his arm with her fingers, "I'm more worried about all the others that are still in the village. They need you more than I do," Rin replied and Kohaku's face fell and she could see that he agreed with her and seemed bothered at realizing that fact. His eyes hardened for a moment as he studied her face.

"I'll leave you here for now, but I'll be back to get you if we don't meet up again," he promised and Rin nodded. He gently let go of her before standing and, with one last look at her, he ran towards the village.

(Divider)

Sesshomaru could smell the smoke from miles away and he growled in disgust when he pinpointed the source of that smoke. It was coming from Rin's village, and it seemed to be engulfing the area and the people within. He quickened his strides and ignored the sounds of demonic cries that kept echoing around him. _At least they're leaving,_ he thought as he heard the cries from multiple demons turn from challenging to distress. Though the demons seemed too weak to be dangerous, the sheer number of them that he sensed caused a feeling of unease to run through him. Even the weakest demons could overtake a powerful kingdom if their numbers were big enough. It wouldn't matter how many warriors and priestesses they had in Rin's village, if he didn't get there in time Rin would be killed if not by Shippo then by an ambush of demons.

He stopped just short of the village when the smell of human blood began to overtake his senses and he had to take a moment to collect himself. The only positive that ran through his mind was that he didn't recognize Rin's blood. His eyes suddenly became engulfed in red when he spotted the fox demon in full form fighting against a cat demon also in full form. The two large demons clawed and snapped at one another, though Sesshomaru saw that the cat seemed to have the upper hand in this fight.

He ignored the demons as he ran inward into the village, his eyes frantically searching for Rin. His senses were on high alert as well for her aura or scent, but everything became more difficult the more inward he got into the village. Smoke filled his nostrils and altered his eyesight and blocked others' auras from easily being detected. A bear demon came at him from the left and he easily sliced the demon open. A young woman ran out of a nearby hut a second later, seeming to have been waiting for the bear demon to pass, and the flash of brown hair caught his eye as he hastily grabbed for her arm.

Sesshomaru easily spun her around to face him and was slightly agitated when he noted that the girl looked nothing like Rin. She let out an exasperated scream before Sesshomaru pushed her angrily away and she took the moment of opportunity to run. He continued heading towards the middle of the village but was stopped again when he spotted the young demon slayer boy fighting off a couple of demons. _The boy may know where Rin is, it'd be more beneficial to find out what he knows than run aimlessly around, _Sesshomaru thought. Altering his path he quickly summoned his poison whip before circling the attacking demons with it and slightly tugging his wrist back. The demons were instantly cut in half and their separate parts fell to the ground in a harmless heap of limbs.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Kohaku cried out in relief after the danger was gone and gave him a small wave, but Sesshomaru didn't return it. A couple humans let out screams of fear from behind the demon slayer before running away as fast as their human legs would take them. Kohaku watched them run into the forest and out of sight before turning to face Sesshomaru, but flinched when the dog demon used his demon speed to appear before him.

"Have you seen Rin?" he asked in monotone, making sure to mask away his anxiety. The demon slayer took a moment to answer before replying, "Yes, she's at the outskirts of the village. We made it to the other side and she told me to go on without her. I'm trying to find more survivors," he answered and pointed to where the "outskirts" were. Sesshomaru didn't respond, merely continued on with his demonic speed in the direction Kohaku had pointed. The boy had told him what he wanted to know, so he no longer needed to protect him.

Once he got further away from the fire and the smoke he picked up Rin's scent and was relieved to sense that she was not seriously injured. He picked up his pace anyway and was able to find her in a matter of seconds. The girl tensed and sat up defensively before recognizing him. Her dark eyes widened in surprise before she stood up on shaky legs.

"Lord...Sesshomaru..." she murmured, still staring at him as if he weren't real. He kept his emotions in check and continued to hide behind his emotionless mask as he surveyed her. She was no longer wearing the miko kimono, rather she was wearing the kimono he had bought her right before he had left her in Kaede's care. Her body had grown and she seemed to fit the kimono perfectly, rather than it be a little too large for her small frame. A swell of pride circulated in his chest at how well she wore the crest of his land, and how well it seemed to suither.

After a moment Sesshomaru realized that Rin hadn't ran to him, or even smiled. Had the downturn of her village affected her that much? He took a step towards her, wondering if she was waiting for him to make the first move. But then she did something that puzzled and enraged him, _she shrank away_.

"What are you doing here?" she asked icily and he didn't miss the way she tensed up and narrowed her eyes at him. He growled loudly at her and felt his eyes bleed red. He never took demands well, and Rin's tone was definitely pushing some dangerous boundaries. "Watch yourself, Rin," he warned darkly and he noted the slight fear that shined in her eyes which only fueled his anger more. Rin had _never_ been afraid of him, so why was she so distrusting and afraid now? Had she been mistreated or taught to fear demons while under Kaede's care?

"If you've come to take me back, than you can just turn around now," she replied sternly, though he caught the tightness of her voice and the pleading in her eyes for him to stay. His anger lessened and his eyes returned to their golden hue before his eyes narrowed slightly.

"You do not wish to return with me?" he asked nonchalantly and Rin hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding her head.

"I have to protect my people. They will continue to die unless I do something, and I will not go with you until I know they are safe," she answered, a strong determination in her eyes surprising Sesshomaru. He knew that as a child she had been a bit headstrong, but it had doubled in adulthood.

"Do as you wish, but I will accompany you," Sesshomaru stated and his eyes narrowed when he saw Rin's mouth open to object. She shut her mouth immediately when she recognized his warning and quickly adverted her eyes. "If you wish to come, then I cannot stop you, my lord," she murmured and turned her head away to expose her neck to him, signaling her submission to his decision. He didn't reply to her, but was secretly pleased that she hadn't forgotten how to act around demons even though she had been around humans for some time.

At the sound of a scream Rin's head shot back up and her eyes widened as she quickly looked around for the source of that scream. Sesshomaru merely turned his head to the right, already finding and pinpointing the source. He sensed a demon nearby and quickly jumped into the air when he realized that the demon meant to attack Rin next.

A large muskrat demon screeched loudly when it spotted Sesshomaru's form above it and it quickly tensed its muscles before moving to strike. Sesshomaru couldn't help the small smirk that spread across his lips at the weak demon's foolishness, for what could such a measly demon hope to achieve? _It seems this demon desires an early demise,_ he thought with a satanic smile before his claws sliced through the muskrat's body. After the corpse fell to the ground Sesshomaru spotted movement out of the corner of his eye and cracked his knuckles in anticipation. His body relaxed a moment later when he sensed that it was merely a human, a human woman no less, making her way over to Rin.

"Hinata!" Rin cried in surprise before catching the woman as she nearly fell to the ground. Sweat coated her forehead and she began to shake in Rin's arms as the younger woman struggled to hold her upright. By Rin's distress and call of the human's name, Sesshomaru could only assume that Rin knew this woman. Sesshomaru turned his head away and began to survey the area for further threats as Rin continued to comfort the woman she called Hinata.

"Oh Rin, I thought that demon was going to kill me!" Hinata exclaimed exasperatedly and her knuckles turned white when she tightened her grip on Rin's kimono sleeves. Rin's expression turned from shock to worry as she gently rubbed the woman's back and began to whisper words of reassurance to her.

"No! Nothing will be alright Rin! Our village is destroyed and people are _dead_!" Hinata screamed and pushed Rin roughly away before pointing an accusing finger at Sesshomaru, "and you brought another demon here! I wouldn't be surprised if this whole massacre was your doing! We all knew you hated humans as a child, Lady Kaede said so! It'd give you enough incentive to send your demon _pets _after us!"

"Hinata..." Rin murmured as tears began to appear in her dark eyes, "First he isn't my pet, it's more of the reverse really...and how can you say that? I've worked so hard to be accepted in this village. I've risked my life to save all of you!"

"You've planned this all out, haven't you? You send down an attack and then "save us" afterward to win our acceptance! Well, it's not going to work, I'll tell all of the villagers what you've done!" Hinata screamed before running off towards the edge of the village. Sesshomaru turned on her and appeared before the stick of a woman, blocking her way out. She let out a shriek of fear and shrunk so far down that Sesshomaru was sure the back of her head was touching dirt.

"Let her go," Rin whispered tightly and Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at her.

"You will allow this human to ruin your name?" he couldn't help but ask, he _was_ truly curious.

"Yes," she answered just as quietly, her bangs hanging over her head, hiding her eyes from his view. He turned a bored eye towards Hinata before walking away from her while running his clawed hand through his hair. While he was no longer blocking her only exit, he didn't hesitate to send her a warning glare that proclaimed that even though Rin wanted her alive, he didn't. Hinata watched him uneasily before turning completely around and hurrying towards the outskirts of the village, and to safety.

Sesshomaru didn't miss her momentary stop at the edge of the forest though, to look back at Rin with sad eyes. He wasn't sure if it was regret or pity he saw in her eyes, but either way he couldn't help a warning growl that escaped his lips. A warning that proclaimed, "get away or you won't ever see the light of day." She gave him a terrified glance before turning around and hightailing it into the safety of the forest.

"Why...does everyone hate me?" Rin asked in a choked breath once they were alone again, and Sesshomaru couldn't mask his surprise at such a question. "I try so hard to win over people's acceptance, but I'm never allowed to stay long enough to win their affections. My family was murdered by bandits, people from my birth village beat me, the villagers here are going to start thinking ill of me, and you," Rin paused to bring her head up to stare straight into his eyes, "you left me _here_,"

"Leaving you here does not signify that I hate you Rin," he replied logically, catching the hidden meaning behind her words.

"Why else would you leave me here when you know full well that I hated humans?!" Rin screamed at him before biting her lip with slight regret shimmering in her eyes, but she didn't look away or summit to him.

"It was too dangerous for you to travel with me," Sesshomaru answered and could feel his baser instincts kick in at the sight of her directly challenging his position of authority. If she didn't show any signs of submission soon, he would be forced to put her in her place. He had never needed to do such a thing to Rin before, for she had always been a very submissive child, but he assumed that all this built up emotion inside her now was fueling this rebellious act.

"That's not true, you could've left me at the castle. Jaken's mate would've gladly watched over me," Rin replied angrily, "I'm tired of your excuses, tell me why you really left me here. Did you find me so repulsive or bothersome that you had to dump me somewhere? Did you think that I would-"

"**Enough!**" Sesshomaru ordered, his demonic voice coating his human based one. Rin flinched at the sound of his deeper, much darker voice that seemed to echo around the clearing they were standing in. His could feel the blood coursing through his body and around his eyes. He was losing control, and he was losing it fast.

"Lord Sesshomaru..." Rin murmured as she stared at him wide-eyed, but straightened her frame and stood up confidently. She was exuding dominance and by the seriousness of her gaze he knew that she wouldn't submit or shrink away._ She's blatantly waving her challenge in your face! You must show her who her alpha is,_ the darker, demonic voice ordered and Sesshomaru clenched his jaw to hide the fact that his fangs had grown out and were almost _demanding_ the taste of her flesh, the taste of her submission. Her kimono had fallen slightly off her shoulder and the exposed skin looked especially delectable to Sesshomaru's blood red eyes.

The yearning to sink his fangs into her bared shoulder was almost impossible to ignore, almost. Sesshomaru would never submit to his inner demon, _he_ was the one in control. Never would Rin come to harm under his protection, which included protection from _himself_.

Sesshomaru had been so preoccupied with his inner battle that he didn't even realize when Rin was merely a hairsbreadth away until he felt the gentle touch of her hand against his cheek. His eyes widened slightly before his dark green irises landed on Rin and he bared his fangs at her in warning. She didn't even flinch.

"I've angered you my lord, forgive me," she pleaded before closing her eyes and a moment later Sesshomaru felt his demonic warfare within himself cease. He was suddenly at peace and he felt his fangs retract and his vision clear. When their eyes met again, chocolate met gold as she gave him a weak smile before collapsing against his chest. His clawed hands instinctively grabbed a hold of her arms to steady her as she laid limp in his arms.

"I didn't realize that it would take so much to...calm your demonic power. I'm so exhausted," she murmured before closing her eyes and resting her head against his chest. Her entire body seemed ready to collapse and he could sense that the little energy she had left was barely enough to keep her conscious. He surveyed her silently for a moment before lifting her up in his arms and cradling her against his chest.

Carrying her would conserve some of her energy and thus keep her conscious for a little longer. It was the logical reasoning behind him holding her, for he would never do such a thing unless it was necessary of him to do so. Her wavy mass of hair cascaded down her back and tickled the skin of his forearm, but he ignored the sensation as he slowly began walking towards the forest.

_I cannot leave her in the care of the humans hiding within the forest, and I cannot carry her through the village. I must take her back with me, it's the only way she'll stay safe,_ he thought to himself. Rin had been the only reason why he'd fight to save a human village, and now that he had her he had no other reason to continue fighting for it.

"No Sesshomaru...go back," Rin whispered, her eyes still masked by her lids, though he didn't miss the fact that she had dropped his honorific title. Hearing her whisper his name with such familiarity caused something to stir within him, and he rather liked the feeling.

"You are too weak to fight anymore, and I will not risk your life for petty humans," Sesshomaru replied, making sure to make it clear that there was no room for argument. Of course, Rin ignored it.

"I'm a human," she pointed out with a wry smile, "and Kohaku, Lady Kaede, and Shippo are still in that mess. I can't let them continue fighting and possibly die. I don't know what I'd do without them,"

Sesshomaru looked down at her and didn't care that she noticed he was blatantly staring. Rin had directly stated that she hated humans, and yet she wanted to put her life in danger to save the ones in her village. Why? Why would she think in such a contradicting way?

"What will you achieve by saving them?" he asked nonchalantly. Rin gave him a grim smile before replying, "Absolutely nothing,"

"Then why?" he couldn't help but add.

"Because, when my family was murdered _I _wanted someone to come and save _me_. I wanted someone to hold me and tell me everything was going to be alright, but no one came. No one even_ tried_. The village that took me in only looked after me for a few months before I became a nuisance and they enjoyed beating me more than caring for me," She explained as she stared at the ground, seeming uncomfortable with meeting his gaze as she spoke.

"So you think that you can give salvation to them, salvation _you_ needed as a child,"

"Yes, I do not want others to suffer like I had to," she murmured solemnly.

"I can not leave you in the forest with the other humans. If they believe Hinata's words, then your life will be in danger. It is too dangerous for me to carry you back into the village, you'll get in the way if I need to fight off more demons," Sesshomaru replied.

"I can fight. I've been fighting for awhile, Lady Kaede trained me well," Rin answered defensively before she winced and grabbed her arms before giving out a light cry of pain. Sesshomaru's arms distinctively tightened around her at her show of torment.

"It doesn't matter how much fighting experience you have, if you're injured then you can not fight," he replied sternly and wondered why it didn't bother him that he sounded like a concerned and somewhat peeved mate.

"But I-" Sesshomaru silenced his previous ward with a look before his senses picked up a familiar scent and his head turned upwards instinctively towards the source of that scent.

"My lord!" Jaken's shrill voice cried from above as the toad demon descended from the sky on Ahun. The two headed dragon let out a loud roar of greeting as it neared the ground. Though Sesshomaru had found the toad a bit annoying at times, he couldn't complain about Jaken's sudden appearance this time.

"Master Jaken!" Rin cried out in surprise before a wide grin spread across her face, "it's been much too long!" she exclaimed, seeming to suddenly have gained a lot of energy and spunk from some unknown place inside.

"Rin! You had this old toad worried about you! When I heard from Akihito that your village would be attacked I saw it fit to do my part to protect you," Jaken replied as Ahun landed gently onto the ground. The two heads studied Rin as a large demonic purr emitted from their mouths as he recognized Rin and his large dragon tail began to wag in excitement at seeing the young human again.

"Jaken I am in need of your assistance," Sesshomaru stated and Jaken's face perked up in anticipation.

"Anything my lord!" he chirped loyally from Ahun's saddle.

"Watch after Rin while I go in search of her comrades and fellow villagers," Sesshomaru replied and noted how Jaken's face fell at realizing that he would be charged with babysitting duties. Sesshomaru rather enjoyed how some things never changed...

"Yes, my lord," Jaken sighed and jumped off the dragon's saddle as Sesshomaru approached the mount and gently rested Rin across the large saddle so she rested against the back of one of the necks of Ahun's two heads.

"Please Lord Sesshomaru...let me go with you. I want to fight off these demons too," Rin murmured, though seemed to realize that by barely being able to sit upright she could be of no use to him.

"Your place is here foolish girl, like it always has been!" Jaken cried out exasperatedly.

"Like always..." Rin murmured and seemed lost in thought at the idea.

"You will remain with Ahun and Jaken until I return," Sesshomaru instructed and Rin closed her eyes before giving him a soft smile.

"Whatever you say my lord," she murmured before she seemed to almost effortlessly fall into slumber. Deeming her sudden lack of energy on pure exhaustion Sesshomaru didn't press the issue and used his demon speed to enter the village once again. Sometimes he wondered if all this effort was really worth it...

(Divider)

"Master Jaken," Rin called moments after she was sure Lord Sesshomaru had left. The toad demon gave a start before turning to look up at her. "Yes?" he asked rather hesitantly, already seeming suspicious of what she desired.

"I want to go to Lady Kaede, she lives on the other side of the village near its edge. We can fly Ahun over there," Rin stated weakly as she continued to rest all of her weight against the dragon's neck Sesshomaru had placed her on, though Ahun didn't whine or fidget under her so she assumed he didn't mind.

"You heard Lord Sesshomaru! He wants us to stay here," Jaken fought back instantly.

"He didn't say that in those words. He said he wanted us to stay together, so if we fly over to Lady Kaede we'll still technically be together, won't we?" Rin asked sweetly and couldn't help the smirk that spread across her face at Jaken's surprise.

"Well I suppose that would still...but I'm positive that Lord Sesshomaru meant that he wanted us to stay _here_, even if he didn't directly say it," Jaken replied and Rin gave him a slight pout that she had used as a child to get her way.

"But Master Jaken!" she whined and noted that her childish cries still had a powerful affect on the toad demon. His face grew hot before he rolled his eyes and glared up at her, "even as a "mature" human you still act like an insufferable child!" he groaned, but quickly climbed on Ahun's back when Rin situated herself better on the saddle and allowed him to sit in front of her.

"You're like a little kid Master Jaken!" Rin chirped before affectionately patting his head, both noting the obvious size difference between them which hadn't been so apparent when they had first traveled together about ten years earlier.

"Just be grateful that I'm risking my neck for you girl," Jaken grumbled as Ahun quickly lifted from the ground into the air.

"Fly towards the East Ahun!" Rin called and the dragon grunted before heading in the direction instructed.

"I'm starting to wonder if you're even hurt at all..." Jaken mumbled, noting the spark in her eyes and the way she was able to carry herself confidently. Could she have been...faking?

(Divider)


	11. Chapter 11

Review Corner

Rickashay: Aww I'm so happy that you like my story :). I work really hard to keep improving my writing style, and try my hardest to explain the freak out of everything lol. That's cool that you used the same idea, kinda freaky too lol. Thanks for the review!

I am the Wind Mizuki Kay: glad you like it! Thanks for your review and I hope you like this chapter too!

CutieSOS: haha I know right? I literally came to me as I was writing that sentence down. I love it when characters totally take control of my stories lol. Thanks for the review!

Hattaru: No worries! You'll find out Rin's intentions soon enough, she is proving to be quite the little manipulative woman in this story :) and I really like it. Thanks for the review!

Sesshomaru94: aww thanks for the review! Glad you liked it! :)

Phyrestorm: haha loved the enthusiasm in your reviews! :) I love it!! Well Rin just isn't that type of person, and she's too worried about the present situation to take Hinata's words to heart. Thanks for the reviews!

Ishii: haha loved your review. Sadly, no fluff for a little while :/ remember that Rin is basically a new person now from the old Rin she used to be. Her trust in Sesshomaru has been broken and they need to rekindle it before any fluff can happen.

LadyRin98790: haha here's your update :) thanks for the review!

(Divider)

"Rin, you insolent child! We are going back_ now. _Lord Sesshomaru will surely behead me and use my gorgeous head as a wall decoration for this!" Jaken shrieked as he tried desperately to pull on Ahun's reigns to change the dragon's direction. But the two headed dragon merely ignored his tugs and continued on.

"Just let me get to Lady Kaede, then you can head back, Master Jaken," Rin responded levelly, keeping her eyes trained on the path ahead. Jaken looked up at Rin in surprise at her suddenly serious tone before he let out a breath of defeat.

"Tell me one thing Rin, are you really injured?" the toad asked the young human as Rin turned to look down at him for the first time since they took flight. Her eyes were colder than he had ever seen them and her lips pulled down in a slight frown.

"No, but I knew that acting the part would be the only way Lord Sesshomaru would let me out of his sight. I certainly couldn't go find the rest of my friends if _he_ knew what I was doing. Besides a corporative Sesshomaru is much better than an angry one," Rin answered.

"Y-You manipulative...girl!" Jaken sputtered as he angled his body to give her his best disapproving glare. Rin gave him a small smile before adverting her gaze forward to try and recognize anyone from all the smoke and fire blocking her vision.

Ahun gave out a low growl as he slowed his speed down just enough to hover above a few building. Rin's eyebrows furrowed forward in confusion as she looked around for what could have caught the dragon's attention. A moment later she heard the distressed neighing of horses and the wheels in Rin's head finally clicked. Her horse! And all the other horses that were locked up in their stalls!

"Head down there Ahun," Rin commanded and the dragon nodded his two heads before quickly descending to the ground. Rin hurriedly jumped off his back even before his claws hit the rocky floor and ran to the stalls before grabbing for the doors. She quickly regretted the action when the sheer heat of the wood burned her fingertips and she gave out a cry of pain before cradling her hands to her chest.

"Stupid human! Allow Ahun to do that!" Jaken cried from his perch atop Ahun's saddle as the dragon gave out a hiss of agreement. Rin stepped quickly out of the way as the dragon stampeded towards the door and busted it open in one fell swoop of his mighty heads. A moment later Rin heard the sounds of distressed grunts and snorts as the horses within the stable galloped out of the burning barn as fast as they could. Only one horse paused on its run, the black stallion that Kaede had given Rin on her first few weeks of arriving at the village four years later. His black head was held high as his matching eyes gazed down at her with a kind of wisdom and understanding that shocked Rin down to her core.

"Go," Rin urged and pointed towards the direction the rest of the fearful horses had run, but the stallion remained by her side, staring down at her with those disturbingly knowledgeable eyes.

"Why does that horse stay? Does it not understand the danger in standing next to a raging fire?!" Jaken screeched. Rin stared at the ground for a moment before a small smile graced her lips as her hand reached out and she gently patted the stallion's snout.

"Go back to Lord Sesshomaru, Master Jaken. I will ride this stallion to Lady Kaede's side," Rin stated as she brought her head up to stare at the horse before sending a bright smile Jaken's way. The toad sputtered in surprise for a moment before he grew serious, "Rin, do you know what great offense it is to directly disobey Lord Sesshomaru? It won't matter how many years you have traveled with him, he _will _kill you," Jaken warned darkly.

"I understand...but he has lost my trust, Jaken. I do not want to continue traveling with him if I'm constantly worrying that he will grow tired of me and leave me to fend for myself once again," Rin answered, her smile faltering before the light in her eyes dimmed slightly, the memory of the pain she felt at realizing he had left her returning. Her heart let out a pained beat, but she refused to grasp her chest and bend down in agony. She was tired of being thought of as the weak one, always the weak naive little girl. It was time to prove that she _could _be strong, Rin _could_ make a name for herself instead of hiding behind her lord all the time. It was as much proof for the rest of the world as for herself, and she _needed_ this.

Jaken shut his mouth as he surveyed her before grabbing Ahun's reigns tightly, "I see you've made up your mind, girl. I will not fight with you over your petty life, just pray to the Gods that Lord Sesshomaru will show you mercy when he finds out what you've done," he stated gravely before ushering Ahun into the skies. Rin gave the dragon her biggest, brightest smile as he let out a low growl of displeasure and sadness for having to leave her before answering to Jaken's orders. As they began to climb up into the sky Jaken turned around for a split second to look back at Rin with a sad grimace before whirling back around when their eyes met.

Rin's smile changed from bright to knowing as she watched her childhood companions fly off into the night towards their master. Rin's smile fell completely at the thought of Sesshomaru, and wondered if she could keep the promise she made to herself to be strong. She _did_ have to prove herself, she was an adult now, and no longer needed her lord's protection. She could make a name for herself and prove to everyone that she was worth every breath of air she took.

The stallion next to her nuzzled the crook of her neck, which brought Rin back to her present predicament as she visibly shook her head to clear her thoughts. Grabbing her weapons that had fallen out of Ahun's saddle, she hoisted herself up on her stallion before kicking his sides to get him moving.

He was already at a gallop the second her heels hit his sides.

(Divider)

Sesshomaru hadn't even made it to the middle of the village when the scent of his half-brother reached his sensitive nose and he paused in his running to wait for Inuyasha to sense him as well. The half-demon didn't take long, in fact he seemed to almost sense him as quickly as Sesshomaru had him. But Sesshomaru refused to be impressed by how much demonic senses Inuyasha still possessed even though he was a half-demon.

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru bit out a greeting to his half brother, not bothering to act civilly around the half-breed. Inuyasha didn't act any better.

"Sesshomaru," he growled back as he turned at the sound of his half brother's voice, "what are you doing here?"

"I do not need to explain myself to you," Sesshomaru growled back, though managed to keep his baritone in check. Inuyasha eyed him suspiciously before he spoke, "you aren't here to kill Shippo or Kohaku, are you?" he asked.

"No. How would I benefit in doing such a thing?" Sesshomaru asked back logically, making his superiority known in his tone. Inuyasha's silver dog ears atop his head folded against his skull as he bared his teeth at the full demon, his stance suggesting that he was more than ready to fight him if Sesshomaru tried anything. Sesshomaru gave him a dark smirk before looking down his nose at his half brother. "Do you really want to fight brother? I was sure you held human life in much higher regard then to let them die while you fought to save the dignity you never had," he chided as Inuyasha began to growl low in this throat before he seemed to have a thought and immediately straightened his stance.

"So you _aren't _here to kidnap Rin and kill off your competition?" Inuyasha replied rather oddly as he began to visibly relax by the releasing of his shoulders and the popping up of his dog ears.

"What?" Sesshomaru asked as his stance relaxed as well, taken by complete surprise. His surprise mainly stemmed from wondering how his half-brother would come to such a conclusion.

"Myoga spewed some story along those lines when he came to Kagome and I a couple hours ago," Inuyasha replied before shrugging, "guess he was wrong,"

"Well Lord Inuyasha, that's not _exactly_ what I said," the flea in question stated as he jumped onto Inuyasha's shoulder, "you see Lord Sesshomaru, Lady Kaede sent me to fetch Lord Inuyasha and his mate to help with the fight. I simply asked them to come and aid the villagers, not that there was some love squabble going on," Myoga added before giving out a nervous laugh and rubbing the side of his head, an action, Sesshomaru noted, that he seemed to do quite often.

His amber eyes lowered as he stared down at the flea, his silence seeming to unnerve the little demon. Myoga gave a start as he stared from Sesshomaru to Inuyasha before walking over and placing his little hand against Inuyasha's neck. "Forgive me Lord Inuyasha, but it seems that my guidance ends here. I'm sure that you and Lord Sesshomaru can take care of Daichi and his minions!" the flea stated encouragingly before zipping away and making a run for it.

"Hey wait! How dare you run off _again_ Myoga?!" Inuyasha called as the two dog demons watched the flea make his masterful escape through rubble and flame. "You really are weak little brother, if you can not even give chase to such a _weak_ and _old_ demon," Sesshomaru stated nonchalantly as Inuyasha's mood began to heat up once again. _It seems you can never take control of your emotions Inuyasha, for that you will surely pay_, Sesshomaru thought as Inuyasha made a run for him. Just when his claws were within reaching distance of Sesshomaru's robes, the demon disappeared in a flash before materializing behind the half-breed and kicking him to the ground. Inuyasha gave a grunt of surprise at the contact of Sesshomaru's shoe on his back before he was silenced by a face implant in the dirt. Sesshomaru landed gracefully on the ground before sending a disapproving glare down at Inuyasha's motionless form.

"You never learn Inuyasha, I am your better and will always _be_ your better. Once you get that through your thick skull, then maybe I'll respect you a little more," Sesshomaru stated.

"Sesshomaru," Inuyasha ground out as he pushed himself off the ground and balanced on his forearms, "You're such an ass," he finished with a light laugh before resting his hands on the ground and pushing himself up off the floor.

"The outcome will never change, I will always win," Sesshomaru commented as Inuyasha turned around to face him, "so why keep trying to change the inevitable?"

"You really don't understand humans do you Sesshomaru? When they are set on something, fully and wholeheartedly, they will _never _give up no matter how slim their chances of succeeding are," Inuyasha replied and Sesshomaru was surprised how much older Inuyasha looked at that moment. No longer was he the little twit that paraded around shouting things that he did not understand or that could never happen. Though he would _always_ be the little brat that shouldn't have been brought into this world, he couldn't help the slight respect that resonated inside him at seeing his sibling so sure of himself. Wait, had he just called Inuyasha his..._sibling_? Thinking such a thing almost made it seem like Inuyasha was his _equal_. Surely he had gone mad, it had to be due to all the smoke intake that was clouding his judgment.

"Inuyasha! Lord Sesshomaru!" a voice cried out as the two demons turned to see Kohaku making his way towards them.

"Kohaku, what are you still doing around here?! You have to get out of the village, now!" Inuyasha yelled at the young human as Kohaku stopped his mad running to stand in front of the half-demon.

"I had to...help look for...survivors," Kohaku stated in between breathes. Inuyasha gave him an angry glare before grabbing the top of the his head and pulling it back so the two men were looking each other in the eyes.

"Well that's my job, so get out of here _now_. What do you think Sango would say if she saw you risking your life like this?" Inuyasha growled. Kohaku looked away for a moment before standing up and pushing Inuyasha's hand slightly away.

"I _live_ here Inuyasha, this is my _home _and I will defend it as best I can," he answered solemnly as the half-demon surveyed him for a moment before lightly 'keh'ing at him and placing his hand atop his own forehead. "Fine. Do what you want, see if I care," he muttered as Kohaku gave him a half smile before turning towards Sesshomaru.

"Lord Sesshomaru, were you able to find Rin?" he asked and the dog demon nodded. "She is safe outside of the village," Sesshomaru responded and Kohaku relaxed his shoulders before giving him a thankful nod. "That's good, now I won't have to worry about her anymore," the demon slayer murmured before glancing up at the two demons.

"I've finished searching through this part of the village. There are no survivors, but we must keep moving. If we head towards the East we can meet up with Lady Kaede and see if she's alright," Kohaku informed the two and Inuyasha gave him a stern nod while Sesshomaru remained silent. Taking both responses as positive ones, Kohaku balanced his weapon in his hand before turning around and leading the way.

(Divider)

Rin enjoyed the slight bliss that running at a full gallop gave her. Though the wind blowing through her hair was hot due to all the fire, it still helped in brushing away the sweat that coated her brow and forehead as well as send a delightful thrill down her spine. Her horse grunted slightly as if sensing her feelings and agreeing, his own mane flying elegantly behind his neck.

Rin had scanned through the village on her way towards Kaede's hut, just in case she spotted any life. Though she was dismayed when all she saw for miles were more corpses and burning buildings. A few moments later Kaede's hut came into view and Rin gave out a gasp of fear when she saw the familiar hut burning to the ground. _So the demons were able to break through her barrier,_ Rin thought as tears began to collect in her eyes. She _would_ not, _could_ not even fathom the _idea_ of Kaede being dead. The old woman was invincible! She just couldn't be dead!

Her stallion gave a start when a large snake demon broke through a nearby hut and bared its fangs at her while it approached. Rin quickly grabbed her bow and a tail of an arrow before knocking it and sending it flying towards the demon. Her power seemed to have intensified tenfold due to the rise in her emotions, for the demon began to disintegrate when the power of her aura hit it, even before the arrow pierced its skin.

Rin would've grabbed the untouched, fallen arrow, but her worry for Kaede's well-being didn't allow her to stop her stallion to fetch it. She could always make another arrow if she wasn't able to find that one later, but she could never make another Kaede.

Once she made it to the entrance of the hut she pulled on her horse's mane to stop him so she could jump off his back and run in. She had to cover her eyes with her arms when she stepped inside, for the sheer heat and smoke coming from the home was almost unbearable. Not willing to let Kaede down, Rin dropped her arms and held her breath as she ran deeper inside the hut.

Everything was ablaze, the walls and ceiling seemed to be like they were the walls of Hell themselves. The fire was traveling and escalating fast, so fast that Rin was sure she'd only have minutes before the whole thing collapsed. Gathering as much courage as she could muster, Rin ran straight through the hut and frantically searched for the old priestess. Luckily she was able to find her, only to spot a large bloody gash on the side of her shoulder.

Running to her side she gently tapped the older woman's uninjured shoulder, and gave her a reassuring smile when she saw her eyes pinch open slightly to look up at her.

"Rin," Kaede mouthed in astonishment before her eyes widened and she began to cough profusely. Rin gently pushed her into a sitting position before rubbing her back gently to cease her coughing. Not telling her what she was doing she helped Kaede to her feet before letting her rest against her shoulders. Kaede didn't fight as she was dragged out and gave out a sigh of relief as they left the hut that she once called her home.

Rin's stallion trotted around in excitement at spotting her as the two women stood a few feet away from the hut. Rin flashed him a smile before gently setting Kaede down on the grass once she was sure they were far enough away from the flames.

"Are you alright, Lady Kaede?" Rin asked as her eyes immediately fell to the large gash on her left shoulder.

"I've been better," she replied softly and Rin felt her eyes sadden at that remark. Kaede _never _allowed anyone to know her pain, she'd always push away everyone's worry with a flick of her hand and an angry 'bah!' for asking her such a question.

"Rin, promise me one thing," the priestess murmured while reaching out to the younger woman. Rin instantly grabbed her outstretched hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "Anything, Lade Kaede," she promised her.

"Stay in this village, and protect our people," she murmured and Rin felt her eyes water as the woman's eyes began to flutter, the energy to even keep them open seeming to rapidly leave her.

"You can't die Lady Kaede. You've become a second mother to me, don't make me lose you too," Rin murmured and gave her a watery smile when Kaede sent her a disapproving glare. "This old woman is stronger than _that_, mind ye! Even if death takes me, I will be with ye my child, and be watching over ye. For ye have become the daughter that I could never have, the child that I will cherish as if ye were my very own," Kaede added, seeming to regain enough energy to give Rin that little speech.

Rin felt a stray tear travel down her cheek as she stared at this powerful woman who was reduced to barely a whisper, her previous strength to keep on living slowly being sucked out of her.

"Rin," a monotone voice called and Rin stilled above Kaede, instantly recognizing that voice. Rin lowered her head so her bangs covered her eyes as she greeted her lord, "Lord Sesshomaru,"

"I told you to remain at the edge of the village. Why have you disobeyed me?" he asked, and though the control in his voice never faltered, Rin didn't miss the threatening meaning behind his words. He wanted to gain control of the situation, control of _her_. Control she had been able to rectify so easily in the past, but now the thought of acting like nothing had changed between them was something Rin wasn't ready to do. Though she had submitted to Sesshomaru a little earlier, it had been to gain his alliance in finding her friends, not because she was serving him. Because that was the case she was able to _act_ the role of a submissive female to better her chances of possibly defeating Daichi and his gang with Sesshomaru's help.

"I couldn't sit idly by as my village burned to the ground," Rin answered, refusing to turn around and face her lord. She wasn't sure if it was because she was cowardly, or feeling particularly disobedient at the moment. She assumed he thought the latter because she heard a displeased growl emit from Sesshomaru and felt the circulation of his angry demonic energy.

"Sesshomaru, cool it for a second. You two can fight to your hearts desire _after_ we make sure the village is completely evacuated," Inuyasha suggested before Rin heard him take in a light breath, "whoa, is that Kaede, Rin? She looks in pretty bad shape," he added before she heard the sound of rapid footsteps and recognized the half-demon's bare feet and red hakama as he bent down beside her to glance down at Kaede. Rin turned to look over at him and was surprised to see that the golden pools he called eyes were the softest she had ever seen them.

"Kaede, you old hag. You've really done it this time," he murmured, and though his words were offensive, the tone he said them in voiced the affection the half-demon held for the old priestess. Kaede gave him a weak smile before slowly reaching up to give a hard tug on his right fuzzy dog ear. Inuyasha gave out a yelp before Kaede let out a crackling laugh.

"I will miss ye too, Inuyasha," she stated hoarsely as she brought her hand back to her side and stared almost dreamy eyed at the stars, "I was sure I was going to die soon, but I had no idea it would be this early. I must say that facing death has to be one of the hardest things I've had to do in my long life," she added.

"Don't say that Lady Kaede, you'll be alright," Rin stated, though hated how her voice caught and another tear streamed down her cheek.

"Don't give her false hope Rin, I can smell the death on her. She won't make it," Inuyasha stated solemnly before Rin let out a loud sob as she angrily pushed Inuyasha away with her free hand.

"She will live, Inuyasha! Lady Kaede is _strong_!" Rin yelled, unsure if she was trying to convince herself or Kaede of that fact. Suddenly the sound of another's footsteps caught Rin's attention and she watched as Inuyasha's ear inclined to the left before he turned towards the sound.

"Move, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru ordered and Rin turned to stare at Sesshomaru's black boots before slowly traveling up to his waist where she spotted Tenseiga in his right hand. The sword pulsated once and Inuyasha scooted out of the way as Sesshomaru approached Kaede. Rin's hopes brightened at the idea of Sesshomaru bringing Kaede back to life, but shattered when Kaede held up her hand, signaling him to stop.

"Do not use you demonic blade on me. It is my time and I will not make Death wait for my soul any longer than necessary,"

"But Lady Kaede-"

"Hush Rin," Kaede ordered firmly and Rin quickly shut her mouth. Kaede's eyes instantly softened, "do ye really wish to bring me back to what few years I have left? Ye know that I suffered through constant pains throughout my body. They would've kept progressing to the point that it would've be impossible for me to even stand. Do ye really wish me to live that kind of life?"

"No, but I don't want to live a life without you either!" Rin defended, and lowered her eyes when Kaede removed her hand from Rin's grasp to gently place it against her cheek. "I know child, I know that ye love me. Love is a strong emotion, and love can continue on in death. So if ye love me...ye will let me go," Kaede murmured and Rin felt another few tears escape from her watery eyes as all she could do was give the priestess a swift nod. Rin knew Kaede was right, and that if Sesshomaru should bring her back to life, that she would only have a few more years left.

"Besides, it is the most honorable for a miko to die defending her village. It is the best death I could ever hope for," Kaede added as her hand fell away from Rin's face and she rested it against her chest. She gave Rin and Inuyasha one last smile before she closed her eyes and let out a long breath before her chest fell and never rose again. Rin shrank back from the woman as she watched her body begin to completely relax, and all the pain and discomfort on Kaede's face began to melt away. Rin jumped slightly when she felt Inuyasha's clawed hand rest on her shoulder as he gave it a light squeeze.

"Don't worry too much about her. She was a resilient woman, as I'm sure she'll be in death. This was the best death she could've had Rin, so don't take it too hard," Inuyasha stated before giving her a gentle smile. Rin returned it before giving him a confident nod, "You're right, Inuyasha. Thank you," she answered and the half-demon gave her a wide enough smile that showed off one pointy fang.

A distressed neigh caught the two off guard (Sesshomaru stood idly by) as Rin's stallion began to prance around and toss his head back and forth. Rin noted a second after watching her horse that he was trying to tell her something. Rin stood and hurried over to him before grabbing his head and gently rubbing her hands around his long snout to calm him.

"What is it?" Rin asked in a whisper as her horse grunted and pulled out of her grasp before pointing his snout towards a large collection of smoke, "it's only smoke, what's so scar-" Rin was stopped mid sentence when she spotted a faint shadow of a large demon. _Shippo! _she thought, his fight with Daichi had been completely forgotten, until now. Rin held her bow close to her chest as she looked back briefly at her horse. He gave a loud snort before turning around and presenting his back to her with a compliant neigh. Rin gave him a knowing smile before hoisting herself up on top of his back.

"Rin, wait! Where are you going?" Inuyasha called to her and Rin flashed him a smile before waving. "I'm going to end all this fighting once and for all," she answered before turning back around and kicking her horse's sides, his long legs a painting in motion as he galloped towards the main event.

(Divider)

_I'm hurting! I'm hurting!_ Shippo thought as he backed up just enough to escape Daichi's large claws. _If_ _I keep fighting like this...I'll die!_ Shippo panicked as he jumped at Daichi with his fangs outstretched and bared, only to growl loudly in anger when Daichi was able to move away just quick enough that he only nicked the cat's shoulder.

"Give it up fox pup, you're no match for me. I can see your strength is fading, with enough time your throat _will _be mine," Daichi growled, his demonic voice overshadowing his humanoid one. Shippo snarled back at him before reaching out with his claws to grab onto Daichi's front leg. The cat let out a hiss of surprise before quickly removing his paw and bringing it up to scratch Shippo's muzzle. Shippo let out a yelp as he backed up more, his reflexes seemed to be weakening as well.

_**Give me the power, Shippo, **_a voice whispered from deep within Shippo's mind. The fox demon closed his eyes for a moment and tried to concentrate on what the voice was saying, _**Let me take control and I promise you will come out of this victorious!**_

Shippo realized after a moment that this was his demon, the monster that was a part of him, that was trying to convince him to hand him the reigns. _Could I really win if I just let my demon take control?_ He thought and heard a dark chuckle as the voice spoke again, _**Do you doubt me? The demon that is as much a part of you as your own arm or leg?**_

_No! But I can't let you take control, how will I know that you'll give it back to me after the fighting is done?_ Shippo asked back, but wasn't able to hear a reply because he felt his body move and noted that Daichi had just lunged out to attack. Stepping away, the large cat demon faltered slightly as he caught himself before he fell against a burning hut. Daichi gave out a shriek before baring his fangs at Shippo and his black fur stood up on end.

_**Give me control Shippo, do it now or you **_**will**_** die**__,_ the voice of his demon promised, and Shippo felt his control start slipping. It seemed his demon was ready to fight him for it even if he refused. Just as he was about to give in, a familiar scent flew past his nose and he turned to see Rin making her away atop her stallion towards the two. His golden shining eyes* widened in recognition as he turned swiftly towards Daichi. He needed to make sure Daichi didn't see or sense her. Shippo felt the presence of his inner demon pushing at the edges of his mind, trying to gain control, but he ignored it. _I need to be in control right now, _he urged the power within as he chomped down on Daichi's front leg with a new found inspiration to continue fighting: Rin.

(Divider)

Sesshomaru stood patiently near his half-brother as Rin rode on towards where Shippo and the cat demon, Daichi, were fighting. It took all he had to keep from following her. Though it angered him that she had directly disobeyed him, he had to applaud her somewhat cunning performance. It seemed that she had remembered just how protective he was of her, and used that fact against him. If he hadn't scented her slight fear at his mention of her disobedience he would've considered that it hadn't been Rin at all, but an unknown woman who just _resembled_ Rin.

"What are you still doing here?" Inuyasha asked and turned around to glance up at Sesshomaru. "I can do whatever I want," Sesshomaru boringly replied, truly disappointed that Inuyasha didn't understand such a simple truth by now.

"No, that's not what I meant," Inuyasha angrily growled back before his features softened and he turned away from his half-brother for a moment, "I mean, why didn't you go after Rin? Try to stop her?" he finished.

"She has shown me that it no longer matters what I want from her, she will have her way," Sesshomaru stated and then pondered why he wasn't angry at the fact that he couldn't control her. _Because she is no longer a child under your protection. She is a grown woman who has the right to her own decisions. Besides, her new found defiance _is_ a somewhat likable trait that Rin seems to have developed during my absence,_ Sesshomaru thought with an inward smirk. It proved to him that Rin _had_ changed, and was ready to think on her own as well as put herself first.

"Keh, you have more will power than I do. If that were Kagome running into battle there'd be no way I could just sit here and _not _be battling by her side," Inuyasha answered while he ran his hands through his silver bangs.

"That's because your miko wench can not properly protect herself. Rin has killed multiple demons as well as run thousands more frightened demons out of her village. There is no question that she is someone who can protect herself," Sesshomaru scoffed, and was that..._pride_ in his voice just then, pride for Rin?

"Hey! You'd be surprised how long Kagome can last on the battlefield!" Inuyasha fought back, "among other things..." he heard the half-demon mutter before a large blush coated his cheeks and he refused to look Sesshomaru in the eye. "Why you would think _I'd _be interested in such things?" Sesshomaru replied and Inuyasha sent him a glare before standing his full height to stare Sesshomaru down, though the top of his head only made it to the base of other demon's neck.

"Well you're the one _boasting_ about Rin like she's some _trophy,_" Inuyasha barked back.

"I was merely stating the obvious, not "boasting" about her, as you put it," Sesshomaru replied levelly, though internally denied it, knowing full well that he _had_ been boasting. It wasn't very often that a mere human could get thousands of demons running in the _opposite_ direction shrieking about an aura stealing and element controlling human woman.

He had had his assumptions about the girl for a long time, knowing deep down that she wasn't completely human. Even from the beginning when they first met, something about her presence when she had approached and poured water over his head had calmed his demonic spirit. Had she not had this...curious presence, Sesshomaru was positive he would've killed her, no matter how weak and battered he had been.

"Inuyasha! Stop being rude to your brother!" a female voice scolded as the men turned towards it to spot Kagome making her way over on the fire cat's back. Kirara let out a loud hiss at seeing Sesshomaru before she landed a few yards away and stood defensively from the two. Only after the demon stood still did Sesshomaru realize _why_ she was acting in such a way. Kagome was very very angry and very very _pregnant_.

_So you fear that I will be offended by Inuyasha's offspring and try to kill it along with Kagome_, Sesshomaru thought as he stared at the angered cat demon. Though the idea _did _sound rather attractive, Inuyasha's miko did bother him from time to time, he would not waste his energy on such a task.

"I will not kill Kagome or her future offspring," Sesshomaru stated idly, and it seemed to soothe the cat's nerves for she straightened out her fur and allowed Kagome to slide off her back before transforming back into her regular tiny form. Kagome spread her palms out invitingly and the little cat demon jumped into the woman's waiting arms before Kagome walked towards the two men.

"Kagome?! I told you _not_ to come here, it's too dangerous for you and the baby," Inuyasha scolded before he draped an arm around Kagome's waist and the other came up to gently caress the largest part of her stretched stomach.

"You know full well that I can't allow this village to perish. Kaede has done so much for us, it's only right that we pay some of that courtesy back," Kagome stated before she turned and her eyes fell onto Kaede's motionless form, "Lady Kaede!" she shrieked and Inuyasha's ears plastered themselves against his skull while Sesshomaru held in the need to flinch at the sheer volume of the woman's voice.

"It's too late Kagome...Kaede passed a few minutes ago. Rin, Sesshomaru, and I were here with her till the end," Inuyasha murmured and Kagome's eyes began to water before she covered them with her hands while Kirara jumped down to escape from being crushed by the obviously saddened woman.

"But, she's been through so much and survived it all. This can't be the end," Kagome murmured while a tight sob left her throat and Inuyasha's eyes softened as his hold around his mate tightened slightly.

"We all knew that her time would eventually come," he murmured reassuringly as his head bent down to gently kiss the little scar along the nape of Kagome's neck that proclaimed her as his mate. The action seemed to calm the woman down as her arms fell to her sides and she gave a little nod.

"Wh-Where is Rin now?" Kagome asked as she wiped her eyes and gave a little laugh when more tears seemed to stream down her cheeks. Inuyasha steadied her arms as he gently kissed the streaks and began whispered words of love and reassurance to his disheveled mate.

Stating that such actions were awkward for Sesshomaru was an understatement. It was obvious to him that they didn't seem to think that any forms of affections were reserved for the bedroom alone. After he was sure that he could take no more of their sappy love fest, Sesshomaru cleared his throat, informing the couple that he _was_ still present. Kagome jumped in surprise while Inuyasha shot Sesshomaru a _very_ displeased glare.

"Sorry Sesshomaru. Where did you say Rin was?" Kagome directed her question to her mate as Inuyasha's ear twitched slightly before he answered, "I didn't. She went off to try and end the fighting between Shippo and Daichi,"

"Those two big demons were Daichi and Shippo?!" Kagome cried out in surprise, making sure to keep her voice lowered for the two demons out of courtesy. Inuyasha gave her a half smile while Sesshomaru merely stared back at her.

"Why didn't you go after her?" Kagome asked while turning her dark brown gaze towards Sesshomaru, her brows furrowed forward in worry and slight accusation. Sesshomaru's own brows narrowed at her tone before he was about to answer, but Inuyasha beat him to it.

"He's very confident in Rin's abilities," Inuyasha informed her and Kagome rose a brow at her mate, still seeming unaware of Rin's power.

"She has the power to calm demonic aura, as well as take it away," Sesshomaru stated and Kagome blinked at him a couple of times in surprise before she shook her head. "That can't be true. I've never heard of such a thing," she answered and Sesshomaru lightly growled at her.

"Just because you do not know of it, does not make it false miko," he answered above his growl and Kagome placed her finger against her lower lip as she thought for a moment, "I suppose that's true. I won't jump the gun so quickly next time Sesshomaru," she answered with a smile.

"What?" he asked back, the phrase she used foreign to him.

"Jump the gun? Oh it's just a saying which means--oh never mind," she huffed when she noticed that Sesshomaru was no longer paying attention to her. His attention was captured by the increasing sounds of growls and hisses from the direction Rin had gone. Unable to suppress his protective instincts, his legs began to move on their own accord as he sped past the group to check on the fighting. From what Akihito had predicted, Shippo _would _win the fight against Daichi, but end up succumbing to his demon to achieve his win. Once that happened, Rin was supposed to...supposed to...His mind darkened at the thought before his eyes went red and he let out a growl to quiet his thoughts. _He_ would not allow such a thing to happen to Rin, he'd kill the fox demon if he had to, no matter how much Rin cared for him.

His sprint slowed when the shadow of a large demon was evident behind a thick layer of smoke, the village was still encompassed by flames. The demon jumped out of the way of an attack and right into Sesshomaru's line of vision. Now that the smoke was no longer hiding the demon's scent from Sesshomaru's sensitive nose, he could detect that this was the cat demon, Daichi, in true form.

Daichi let out a loud hiss as the fox demon pounced and grabbed the other demon's neck with his enlarged fangs. Sesshomaru would have assumed that Shippo would close his jaws on the cat's demon neck and end the fight along with his life, but Shippo never tightened his jaw. He merely held Daichi down, and seemed to be waiting for the other to succumb. Did the young demon not realize that he needed to make the kill while he had the chance? He figured that Shippo would've known such an obvious fact by now. There was no way to escape the dark demonic thirst for bloodshed that pulsed in every full demon's body. If Shippo did not quench said thirst, his demonic soul would act on its own accord to retrieve it.

Sesshomaru grabbed the hilt of Bakusaiga as he waited impatiently for Shippo to make the kill. Daichi twisted his head back and forth as he struggled in Shippo's jaw hold, but still Shippo wouldn't just tighten his hold and pierce through the cat demon's flesh. Sesshomaru growled low in his throat as his fingers tightened on his sword's hilt and bent his knees, ready to end this pointless fight himself, but right before he was about to pounce Rin's scent filled his nostrils and he paused to turn towards the familiar smell. He heard the sound of horse hooves next, and saw the young woman and her mount come into view a second later.

Their eyes locked for a moment, amber to cinnamon, before Rin turned her attention towards Shippo and Daichi. She lifted her bow and closed one eye as she aimed at Daichi's head. Sesshomaru watched as a white aura appeared around her knuckles before combining and surrounding her arrow like a bright barrier. It mirrored Inuyasha's miko's stance, but the aura felt different. It wasn't purifying aura like a miko's, but seemed stronger, and quite possibly deadlier.

Rin seemed to calculate her angle a second longer before she unhooked her fingers around the end of her bow and the arrow shot out at near record speed. Daichi's large green eyes locked on the weapon just as it was a hairsbreadth away, and because of Shippo's hold, couldn't escape it. The large demon let out a shriek of pain just as the tip of Rin's arrow made contact with his forehead. Strangely enough, instead of disintegrating immediately, his entire body seemed to be sucked into the white aura as if it were a black hole before the light disappeared and a large pile of black ash fell to the ground along with Rin's arrow.

_Interesting,_ Sesshomaru thought as he noted that the arrow was untouched. Not a speck of blood or even a light scratch from use was evident on the arrow that laid comfortably on the grass a few feet away from what once was the cat demon, Daichi. Shippo snarled at the ash before whirling his large head around to spot Rin, and then Sesshomaru. His glowing golden eyes stuck to Sesshomaru, like a moth to a flame, as his lips rose above his gums to expose large white fangs with a menacing growl.

"Do you want to take me on, fox demon?" Sesshomaru asked with a small smirk as he brought his claws up to his face before cracking his knuckles, signaling to the large demon that he was ready for a fight. Shippo merely growled in response before taking a large step forward and let out a loud yip as he continued to bare his sharp teeth at him.

Sesshomaru felt the rush of a future kill coarse through his veins as he jumped forward, his fingertips already coated with a layer of poison. Shippo braced his large body as he let out another sharp yip before opening his jaw wide, intending to swallow Sesshomaru whole. The dog demon quickly altered his body and flicked his wrist to produce his poison whip before sending it towards Shippo. The fox demon let out a whine of displeasure as the whip made contact several times with his red snout, the sheer force of Sesshomaru's power whipping his head back and forth.

"Stop!" Sesshomaru heard Rin's muffled scream. He could hear the desperation in her voice, and the obvious feelings she had towards the young demon, but he didn't even care. The fact that it was hard to hear Rin signified that Sesshomaru was falling towards his darker, demonic side. When this happened his eyes bled red, his irises turned green, and his magenta stripes and crescent moon turned jagged against his pale skin.

"Sesshomaru!" the vague sound of Inuyasha's bellow surprised the dog demon slightly as he turned just in time to escape a fatal swoop from Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga. The half-demon was riding the fire cat and jumped off the demon's back to swing madly at Sesshomaru.

(Divider)

"Shippo! It's Kagome, listen to me!" Inuyasha's mate screamed as she opened her arms out wide as if to embrace the demon that was nearly a hundred times larger than she was. Shippo's muzzle bled from the large cuts that Sesshomaru's poison whip had inflicted, and Rin knew that if he didn't get treated soon the poison would spread through his system and kill him. The fox demon faltered for a moment as his glowing eyes stared at Kagome's tiny form atop Kirara. The cat demon let out a growl of greeting and Shippo shook his head slightly before his form slowly began to shrink and morph into his humanoid one.

Kirara flew down to the ground before Kagome gingerly jumped off to quickly embrace the young demon. Shippo didn't utter a word as his arms encircled his foster mother and he tilted his head so his red bangs covered his eyes. Rin stared at the two for a moment before glancing back at the fight still occurring between the two demon brothers.

"Sesshomaru!" Rin cried under her breath when she saw him unsheathe Bakusaiga when Inuyasha pulled his sword back to send a Wind Scar his way. If someone didn't tell them that Shippo was safe and the fighting was pointless, they'd kill each other. Though Rin knew that the brothers always fought when they saw each other (she had seen them do battle multiple times), this time seemed different.

Inuyasha's golden eyes were narrowed to dangerous slits as he protectively blocked the path to his mate and the demon he had come to see as a son. Sesshomaru's eyes were still blood red and his fangs were elongated to the point that when he sneered at his younger brother his fangs hung over his lower lip. This battle seemed far more serious than any Rin had ever seen before.

"Go," she ordered her stallion as she kicked his sides. He let out a loud snort before standing on his hind legs and kicking at the air while his head shook back and forth widely. After his war cry ended, the black horse landed on his front legs and galloped towards the two demons without even an ounce of fear.

"Rin," Inuyasha mouthed when his golden orbs caught sight of her, but quickly regretted the action when Sesshomaru discarded Bakusaiga to grab him roughly by the throat.

"Sesshomaru!" Rin screamed as she pulled her mount to a stop a few yards away from her previous lord, "stop this fighting, Shippo has come to his senses. Please Sesshomaru, Inuyasha is your brother! He has a mate who loves him and a child on the way!" she added with tears in her cinnamon eyes, and noted that Sesshomaru had tensed at the sound of her voice. Rin watched as the two brothers surveyed each other before Sesshomaru loosened his hold on the half-demon's neck and Inuyasha fell to the ground with a loud thump.

"Thank you Sessh-" Rin began

"I did not do it for you," he bit out,"I did it because killing Inuyasha when he was distracted would be pointless," Sesshomaru seethed before turning to look back at Rin with the coldest glare she had ever seen directed at her. She flinched as fear clutched her chest before she gained control and closed her eyes to shield them from those piercing golden eyes.

"Either way, I'm happy you didn't kill him," Rin murmured. The dog demon took a few steps away from his fallen brother and stopped when he was level with Rin's horse.

"Let's go Rin. It's time you returned to the castle with me," he ordered and Rin jumped off her stallion before walking around him to stand close to Sesshomaru. Her horse grabbed a hold of her kimono sleeve with his lips before gently chewing on them, trying to keep her from advancing any further. She gave him a soft smile before patting his nose and placing her lips on the place between his eyes for a light kiss. He let her sleeve go, but kicked at the ground with his left hoof nervously.

Sesshomaru's eyes stayed glued to Rin's form as she walked closer to him, but stopped when she was a few feet away.

"No, I can't go with you," she stated levelly, and was surprised when Sesshomaru's emotionless eyes widened. He composed himself a second later, "Why not?" he asked, seeming more curious than angry at her response.

"I can't go with you Sesshomaru, because I _choose_ not going with you," Rin replied.

"You would speak such a way to your lord?" Sesshomaru asked back.

"No, but you are no longer my lord. You left me here, and relieved me of my servitude to you. So I no longer need to act as your..._pet_," Rin answered, taking a moment to think of the right word to describe how she had acted around him as a child.

"You were never a pet to me, Rin," he answered moments later, but Rin stood firm in her decision, even though a slight veil of hope had opened in her heart. Hope that maybe Sesshomaru loved her all this time, as much as she had loved him a few years ago.

"I have made a life for myself here. I am _needed_ here," Rin stated before she altered her eyes and stared at the ground.

"If this is what you wish, then I cannot deny it, but know that I will not offer this a second time," Sesshomaru answered and Rin's head shot back up as she stared at Sesshomaru wide-eyed, but saw no lies in his golden orbs. What he said was true...which meant that this would be the last time she could call back her words and travel with him again.

"If that is the case, then....goodbye Sesshomaru,"

(Divider)

Muwahahahaha! :D I'm so evil...Until next time!!


	12. Chapter 12

_Ok, so it's been a LONG time since I've updated, and I'm really really sorry! Hope this chapter makes up for it, even just a little. :) _

_Review Corner_

_Rickashay: Haha yeah I find that funny too :) And I answered you're wish about more Sesshmom, though she'll play a VERY big role in the next chapter. Thanks for the review! _

_CutieSOS: Thanks for your review! And glad that you liked the intensity. I haven't written an all out combat scene in my writing career, so it was pretty tough and I kept checking over it again and again haha. Hope you like this chapter!_

_Elainehac123: Sorry :(, but I figured it'd be way too easy for Rin to just drop everything and head back with Sesshomaru. Just wanted to add more drama I guess :) it'll get better, I promise! Thanks for the review!_

_Seshomaru94: Nothing too much yet I'm afraid :( but romance will eventually happen, I promise! Thanks for the review!_

_Hattaru: Haha, while that could be a great plot point, I just interpret Rin's character as too kind to really be all that harsh on Sesshomaru. While he did leave her, he also saved her life, protected her, and cared for her deeply even if he doesn't openly say it. But thanks for the insight and review! _

_Daddy's Special Request: yup yup :) Thanks for the review!_

_Sesshrindevoter: Well there really hasn't been much happening, and you're right about the self-proving and rebellious Rin, because she is a teen and is going through that "phase." She just needs to find herself, and after Sesshomaru left her, she was hit with the reality that she couldn't remain Sesshomaru's "pet" forever. Also the flashback was supposed to be four years ago, before he left her, so of course she's trusting of Sesshomaru because she doesn't know that he's going to leave her yet. Anyway, hope that helps! Thanks for the review!_

_DNAstar: haha aw I'm sorry, well here's the next installment for you! Thanks for the review!_

_Phyrestorm: haha yes "in your face" indeed. Glad you like it so far :) Thanks for the review!_

(Divider)

"Hn, Sesshomaru grunted lowly, his golden eyes soft yet piercing as he surveyed Rin. It was true that she had grown from the small child she had been, and yet she seemed like a completely different person altogether. Her eyes were hardened to a degree that he had never seen them, and her stance suggested that she was ready to fight him to the death should he decide to defy her. Yes, quite a different person compared to the always pleasing, happy-go-lucky child he was used to.

Flashes of young Rin appeared in his mind as he envisioned her large smile and brightened brown eyes each time she greeted him after he'd return from a long journey or even an hour's hunt in the past. Where had that child gone? Who was this headstrong woman that had taken her place?

Rin seemed to note that he was taking the time to size her up, and lifted her chin defiantly as her cinnamon eyes met with Sesshomaru's indifferent ones. He had to ignore the desire to growl at her open defiance as he weighed his options in his mind. Though Rin was safe, now that Daichi was defeated and Shippo in control of himself, he still couldn't help the pull he felt for her.

He had never imagined that a human could ever have his emotions in such a cluttered twist before.

He knew that he was...attached to the girl. He had been even after only a couple of months of her company, her nonjudgmental and kind nature admirable traits for such a young being to possess. It amazed him to admit but...he respected the young human, even though he naturally respected no one but himself.

"You are set on your decision, then?" Sesshomaru asked after he noted Rin begin to squirm under his unwavering gaze. Rin blinked and took her lower lip in her mouth as she worried it gently before giving him a quick nod. He was slightly surprised at the hesitation he saw in her now, when moments ago she had answered him so confidently.

"Then I shall abide by your wishes. You will not see me again unless by extreme circumstances," Sesshomaru replied levelly, and watched as the girl's eyes enlarged before she altered her gaze and nodded her head.

"I understand," she murmured, her bangs falling forward to cover her eyes from view. He could tell that the decision was, in a matter of speaking, killing her. After traveling with her for nearly ten years, Sesshomaru knew all of Rin's mannerisms and could read her like an open scroll. And yet, even as it was inwardly killing her, she did not beg him to take her back with him or away from the village as he had expected.

"You are a woman now Rin, and have the right to live the life you wish to lead," Sesshomaru answered and spotted the look of shock on the young demon slayer's face, who stood a few meters away from the two.

Sesshomaru knew that the boy had only known him as a demon with little tolerance for others' opinions, as well as for their lives. Publicly allowing Rin to choose her future was an action that spoke volumes about Sesshomaru's views on his former ward.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru," Rin murmured as she brought her head back up to stare into his eyes with her tear coated ones. He did not react to the sight of her tears and lifted his chin up so he could look down pointedly at her.

"That's _Lord_ Sesshomaru to you, whether or not you _are_ my ward. Should you call me by such familiarities again I will not think twice about killing you," the demon threatened as he whirled on the heel of his boots and walked calmly away from a surprised Rin and the still a gaping Kohaku.

(Divider)

"Rin, are you sure you want me to make you a new kimono? The one Lord Sesshomaru gave you is quite pretty," Kagome asked the young woman as she idly ran her thumb across the red silk of Rin's sleeve.

"It is, but I am no longer associated with him, and don't want to give others the wrong idea," Rin replied and untied the obi before pulling off the silky layer and letting it fall into a heap on the floor. Her white under kimono was as long as the silk kimono, and served as another covering that shielded her skin from view as Rin stepped out of the outer layer of the kimono and bent down to grab for it.

"What will you do with it?" Kagome asked curiously as she pulled a couple of fabrics that Inuyasha had collected for her and began sewing them together. Rin looked down at the silk solemnly as she thought it over.

"Do you want it?" Rin asked, extending the silk towards the older woman. Kagome's eyebrows shot straight up before she let out a loud laugh and shook her head.

"I'm sure Inuyasha _and_ Sesshomaru would take that as a direct insult," she stated before giving her enlarged belly a glance, "and I'm sure the body I have now would never be able to fit into it," she added with a slight grimace. Rin gave her an understanding smile in response.

"I don't know what to do with it," Rin murmured as she let her arm fall to her side, the silk still balled in her fist.

"Just keep it. You may be able to sell the material to the merchants that routinely make their rounds in this area," Kagome advised and Rin nodded.

"What should I wear while I wait for the outfit you are going to make me?"

"You could borrow some of my clothes, I suppose. Why are you so impatient to get rid of the kimono Sesshomaru gave you? When you were younger I remembered you used to love getting new kimonos from him," Kagome asked with suspicion in her dark chocolate eyes.

"I don't want to give others the wrong impression that I am still affiliated with Lord Sesshomaru," Rin replied and Kagome gave her a less-than-convinced nod in return.

"You did say that before, but is there another reason? Do you feel pressured by the villagers to remain here, or by Kaede? She was a sweet woman, may she rest in peace, but you mustn't let others control your judgment Rin," Kagome pressed as Rin eyes widened in surprise and she quickly shook her head.

"No, not at all! I just – I just...figured that I needed a life of my own," Rin replied quietly and Kagome's eyes softened when she noted the sad tint in the younger woman's eyes.

"That's very mature of you Rin. I'm glad that you are putting yourself first over that arrogant bast-"

"Hey 'Gome!" Inuyasha's loud voice interrupted Kagome's sentence as the half-demon pulled the straw curtain away from the doorway, "what are you doing in here?" he added curiously as he looked at his mate before turning towards Rin.

"Where's Sesshomaru's crest? You that quick to get rid of the man's protection?" Inuyasha asked, and spotted the red and white silk balled in her right hand, "you want me to burn it?" he suggested with a wicked grin, baring more teeth than Rin would've liked.

"No, she wouldn't," Kagome scolded before placing her fists against each hip as she sent her mate an I-don't-believe-I'm-mated-to-you look before adding, "I told her to hold onto it until she can sell it,"

"Guess that's a better solution," Inuyasha grumbled, "really wanted to burn it too," he added as he gave the silk a sad, long look.

"You came looking for food, am I right?" Kagome asked and Rin saw the half demon stiffen slightly before giving his mate a helpless grin.

"If you've already made something, then I won't refuse it," he replied but his expression turned serious when he noted his mate begin to get out of her chair, "don't strain yourself Kagome. If nothing is on the fire then don't worry, I'll make lunch,"

"I don't know if I should let you, remember what happened last time?" Kagome asked pointedly, but sat back down.

"Pfft, so I burned down a hut or two cause I wasn't paying attention to the fire. No one was hurt and I helped rebuild the huts!" her mate justified.

"Oh alright, but only because I'm about to explode any minute," Kagome gave in to her mate with a light laugh. Inuyasha did not return her laugh as he quickly strode to Kagome's side and bent down to sniff around her neck and stomach, seeming oddly on edge about something.

"Wh-What are you doing Inuyasha? Rin is right here!" Kagome exclaimed, her cheeks burning as she cast a glance back at Rin.

"Relax woman, I'm only checking on the baby's well-being. Are you hurting at all?" Inuyasha asked in all seriousness. Rin blinked a couple of times at the two, never having seen Inuyasha look so serious and grave about anything before.

"I'm fine Inuyasha! That's the last time I crack a joke about my added baby weight with you around," Kagome stated with another laugh, but Inuyasha lips didn't even quirk in response.

"You know what happened last time Kagome, I couldn't face that again," Inuyasha whispered as he placed a gentle kiss on Kagome's forehead before nodding towards Rin and quickly exiting the hut. Once the half-demon disappeared Rin turned towards Kagome and noted that the woman's face was deadly white and she looked ready to collapse.

"Are you alright Kagome?" Rin asked worriedly as she approached the raven haired woman and gently took a hold of her hand. Kagome gave her a weak nod of acknowledgement, but nothing more.

"What did Inuyasha mean when he said what happened "last time?"" Rin asked and felt her heart skip a beat when a single tear traveled down Kagome's cheek. What ever had happened, it had been something traumatic.

Rin reached out and gently wiped the tear away before giving Kagome's hand a reassuring squeeze, "Never mind, if it is too personal then it isn't any of my business," Rin whispered lightly and Kagome gave her a watery smile before returning her squeeze with one of her own.

"Thank you," she whispered and Rin gave her a nod, "please, take some of my clothes from my backpack and wear those until I finish your new kimono,"

"But if you aren't feeling well - " Rin began but Kagome raised one hand to signal her to stop, "I'll be fine here Rin. Inuyasha is always close by, especially because I'm expecting, and a little time to myself is what I really need right now," Kagome replied and all Rin could do was abide by her wishes. Kagome had been nothing but kind to her throughout her childhood. After becoming Inuyasha's mate she had never aged a day, meant to remain the dark haired goddess she had been the first time Rin had met her.

Rin let go of Kagome's hand and hurried over to the large signature yellow backpack in the corner of the hut and pulled out the first thing her hands fell upon – which ended up being Kagome's old green uniform. Rin's jaw dropped and her face turned cherry red. She couldn't be seen in this! Kagome was from the future, so she had somewhat of an excuse to be seen in it. Rin only needed to borrow clothes temporarily, and she'd probably look better in the cheap village kimono than in Kagome's skimpy uniform.

"That'll look cute on you, it may be a bit too big though. You look smaller than me," Kagome stated and Rin turned towards Kagome in shock.

"What will the villagers think?" Rin asked quietly, her voice quaking in fear.

"I'm sure they'll think nothing of it. Besides you're the one that saved this village, so that should exempt you from any name calling," Kagome answered with a bright smile, which disturbed Rin to a surprising degree.

"But what will _you_ wear?" Rin asked, hoping against all hopes that she would realize that _she_ needed clothes too.

"I have a few bigger kimonos packed that Inuyasha bought me due to my larger – ahem – figure. I couldn't fit in those old clothes now even if I _tried,_" Kagome assured her. Rin knew then that her only option was to wear Kagome's uniform, because she couldn't wear Sesshomaru's crest anymore. That's was the whole reason why she asked Kagome for a new kimono in the first place! She'd only be contradicting herself if she continued to wear it.

Heaving a long sigh, Rin slowly unclothed herself (Kagome politely turned the other way) before pulling the long sleeved shirt over her head and sliding her hips into the tiny green skirt. She kept the underwear and bra (A/N: Not sure if they actually had an equivalent back then) on that she had been wearing underneath her kimono.

When she allowed Kagome to turn back and face her the woman's eyes glittered with excitement while she eyed the other woman. "And to think, you've been hiding that figure from the entire world under all those layers of clothes," she teased as she noted that Rin's measurements were about the same hers had been when she had first arrived in the feudal era. Though she wasn't as busty as Kagome was, the shirt actually looked _more_ flattering on Rin since it wasn't skin tight like it had been for Kagome.

"Are you sure?" Rin asked with uncertainty, "I feel like the lightest breeze will flip it up," she added softly as she tugged self-consciously at the bottom of the green skirt.

"You'll be fine," Kagome laughed, "I lasted a couple of years here without that happening," she added reassuringly before beckoning the younger woman closer.

"Let me do a little something with your hair," she murmured as she reached behind her head to unhook the silver pin that held her raven hair away from her face. Her tresses fell along the sides of her face in elegant waves as she tugged on Rin's arm. Rin compliantly moved forward as Kagome fiddled with her hair, eventually deciding to pull a small portion of it away from her face and pinned it in the back.

"There. Now let me have a look at you," Kagome asked as Rin pulled back slightly to glance into Kagome's dark, kind eyes.

"Aw, you look adorable Rin!" Kagome chirped as she clapped her hands together with a toothy grin, "I can't wait for the village boys to get a look at you!" she added with a wink that brought a blush to Rin's cheeks.

"I-I don't know if I want that kind of attention as protector of the village," Rin replied in a tiny voice, which only got a laugh out of Kagome. Her hands came up to gently rest on the younger woman's shoulders as she gave them a light squeeze.

"You say that now because the title is new to you, but give it time. After a couple of years, months maybe, you'll want a man at your side," Kagome informed her with an all knowing nod. Rin only smiled softly and shook her head slightly in response at the idea.

"Maybe you're right," Rin murmured after a pause before she glanced at the ground, a sad glint in her cinnamon eyes. Kagome's eyes softened as a worried expression down turned her brows before she gave Rin's shoulders a soft pat.

"Don't worry too much about it, Rin. Now, go for a walk," Kagome stated as Rin gave her a nod before rising and making her way to the door. As she pushed the hay curtain out of the way, she turned back to give Kagome one last, worried look before she left the hut all together.

(Divider)

"Sesshomaru, you're back," his mother pointed out with slight surprise, "that was quick. Is your human with you?" she asked curiously, though it was hardly noticeable to those who could not read past her stoic mask that mirrored his own. Sesshomaru grunted in response as he continued to walk past her, not even passing her a moment's glance in greeting.

She noticed the direct insult he was sending her as well as the slight downturn of her son's eyes, and the way that he seemed to be almost...sulking past her. _Could it be?_ She wondered as she brought her hand up to her lips in deep thought as she watched him continue down the hall of her castle, could his human really mean that much to him?

It seemed that it was time _she_ took this mess into her own hands.

(Divider)

_So it's a start :) sorry it took so long for this update! More to come in the next chapter, I promise! _


	13. Chapter 13

_Back everyone! :) it's a pretty quick update, but I figured it was due since I left such a cliffhanger!_

_Review Corner_

_Rickashay:haha it's good to hear that there is a fellow writer who knows just how tough it is to keep up with stories! And I did add in a quick scene of Shippo and Kohaku's reaction to Rin's uniform :) Also Sessmom has a BIG role in this chapter, and probably in the ones to come. _

_Warriormaiden60: here's the update! :) thanks for the review!_

_Sesshrin devoter: I loved your interpretation of my story so far! I love hearing what readers see through my work, and it was spot on! :) :) I think I wanted to have an excuse for Rin to be forced to wear Kagome's uniform, so the loss of Sesshomaru's clothing was a tad overly dramatic, but I couldn't think of anything else ^^. Anyway thanks for the review as always!_

_Manni19: haha yup yup :) this is actually my first fic where Rin acts this way. Most of the time I have Rin just happy to have Sesshomaru and ready to love him. While those are always fun, I do enjoy this little rebel Rin I've kind of created :) Thanks for the review!_

_CutieSOS: YES! I'm happy someone commented on that, I was really hoping to get a laugh from that scene :) happy you liked it! Thanks for the review!_

_Pclark: yeah, sorry about the length in updates :/ but now that my college summer classes are over I have a lot more time till fall semester begins :) so expect faster updates! Thanks for the review!_

_Meggie-moo s: haha loved the jaw's music add-in there :) made my day. Thanks for the review!_

_Ladyrouge214:oh yeah, you guessed it ;) thanks for the review!_

_Sara55555: loved your enthusiasm :) :) and happy belated birthday! Hope this update was fast enough for you birthday girl! :D _

_Dark Cemone: Thanks for the review! :) _

_Seshomaru94: Thanks for your review, and glad you loved it! :) _

(Divider)

"Rin!" a village boy yelled out with a grin, "you're looking beautiful today!" he called as he waved to Rin from a few yards away. Rin felt her cheeks heat up at that before giving him a friendly wave in return, not wanting to keep him from his work in the rice fields.

"Hey Rin!" a passing villager called with a wink, "where'd you get the new outfit? It looks good!"

"Uh...thanks," Rin murmured as she hurried along, hoping to continue unnoticed. Luck didn't seem to be on her side today, though.

"Rin!" a young village girl cried out, "I like your outfit! Can you get me one?"

"Wait till you're older, Suike," Rin replied as she patted the girl's head, and tugged on the ends of her short green skirt for good measure.

"Rin!" a familiar voice called out, and Rin whirled around to spot Hinata making her way over to her.

"Hinata..." Rin murmured, tensing as the woman neared. The last time she had seen her...she had accused Rin of causing the destruction of the village for her own personal gain as guardian of the village.

Hinata's brown eyes softened as she seemed to note Rin's tense shoulders as she grabbed both her hands and bowed over them.

"Forgive me, Rin, for I have wronged you," she murmured, her head still bowed over Rin's hands, "I know that what I said to you was wrong, and I wanted to say that I am sorry. I guess the scare from the attack along with the smoke from the fire clogged my practical sense of things,"

"Hinata...what you said really hurt me..." Rin murmured, her heart clenching when Hinata's head shot up and she stared back at Rin with large, fearful eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Rin! I really am!" she exclaimed as she tightened her hold on Rin's hands and bowed over them again and again.

"Please Hinata...raise your head," Rin replied as Hinata brought up her head to stare into Rin's gentle brown eyes, "I forgive you. I forgave you the moment you told me you were sorry," Rin added with a smile. Hinata returned it with strive as she nodded her head and let go of Rin's hands.

"Thank you, Rin, thank you," Hinata smiled as she gave her a wave and hurried away. Rin waved in return as she watched Hinata run back to help the others rebuild the various huts that had burned down. Which reminded her that she needed to do the same.

"Kagome! What are you doing out here? You can't be running around in your condition!" an angry sounding Shippo scolded as Rin turned around to glance up at the fox demon in surprise. The two stared at each other for a moment before Shippo's red hair stood up on end and he took a hasty step back, mouth agap.

"R-Rin?" he exclaimed as he gave her a once over before letting out a heaved sigh, "I thought you were Kagome from behind. You look just like she did when she wore that uniform," he added in an grumpy, apologetic voice. Rin gave him a smile before waving him off,

"It's fine, Shippo, really!" she replied, though her smile faltered when Shippo stood straight up and awkwardly scratched the back of his head. He seemed nervous about something.

"You know, I'm glad I caught you. I wanted to ask you about - " he began but was cut off by Kohaku's enthusiastic greeting.

"Rin! It's good to see you out and about," Kohaku smiled as he joined the two, "are you feeling alright?" he added worriedly and Rin smiled back at him before nodding her head.

"Yes. I was talking to Kagome earlier and she said she'd make me another kimono," Rin answered, "though I have to wear Kagome's old uniform until then," she added as she tugged on the green miniskirt.

"I think it looks great on you!" Kohaku grinned as his cat demon pet, Kirara, jumped onto his shoulder and let out an excited meow in agreement. Rin gave the demon a smile before placing her hand on top of her head and giving her an affectionate pat.

"Why is Kirara here?" Shippo asked, voicing out for the first time since Kohaku had shown up. Kohaku glanced back at him before running his finger under Kirara's chin and gently running it back and forth through her fur.

"Inuyasha said that he and Kagome ran into Sango and Miroku on their way over here and my sister gave Kirara to them to protect Kagome while she's pregnant. I'm hoping Kirara and I can find them after Kagome gives birth," he explained before letting the hand that had been petting Kirara fall to his side.

"That was kind of Sango," Rin observed and Kohaku nodded to her in return.

"Sango has always been that way, even during the hard times when I was under Naraku's control," Kohaku answered as he lowered his eyes, and Rin noted that he seemed forlorn about it, "even _then_ she didn't give up on me, and kept fighting to save my life. I'll never be able to make up for what I've done to her and our family," he added solemnly.

"I'm sure things will work out," Rin offered as she grabbed the demon slayer's shoulder before giving it a friendly squeeze, "you'll see," she promised with a smile. Kohaku only smiled back at her before glancing towards the village.

"We really should start rebuilding this place. It's a wreck!" he laughed, though Rin wasn't fooled by his false enthusiasm. She knew that what Kohaku had done in the past was killing him inside, and would continue killing him until nothing was left of him but a hollow shell.

Rin altered her eyes as a frown pulled at the edge of her lips. Kohaku was her friend, and had always been her friend, even after the few times he had tried to kill her under Naraku's control. She hated seeing him try to cover up the pain he felt on a daily basis. He needed to vent out his frustrations rather than hide them, or he'd end up breaking down from all the stress.

"Kohaku..." Rin murmured as the demon slayer glanced down at her with curious eyes, "I'm sorry," she added softly, and Kohaku's eyes widened in surprise before his dark eyes were pooled with confusion.

"For what? You didn't do anything," he pointed out, but let out an airy breath when Rin jumped on him and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug. Kohaku frequently blinked in surprise for a few moments before he wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her close.

"You don't need to do this for me, Rin. I can take care of myself," he whispered in her ear as Rin's arms tightened behind his neck.

"I know, but I want you to know that I'll hear you out if you need to talk about something," she whispered back as she buried her head in the crook of his neck. She felt Kohaku pull back slightly at the intimate caress, but then relaxed before placing his hand on the back of her head and just held her against him.

"Thank you," she heard Kohaku whisper against the top of her head as he rested his cheek against the side of her head, "you're my best friend," he added and Rin nodded against his skin.

"And you're mine," she admitted, though stiffened when she heard the sharp intake of breath and the sound of receding footsteps, but by the time she pulled out of Kohaku's grasp it was already too late. She watched Shippo's hurried escape back into the village before exchanging glances with Kohaku. He gave her a care-free shrug in response.

"I wouldn't worry about him. The only thing hurt might be his ego," Kohaku reassured her as he grabbed hold of her hand and quickly pulled her alongside him, "now c'mon! We have to start working on reconstructing the village!" he added with a grin, with which Rin returned wholeheartedly.

(Divider)

"Lady Inukimi," Akihito called as his lady passed his room. She paused in front of his door before glancing over towards him with her typical cold stare. He merely smirked in response to her and bowed his head elegantly to show his respect.

"What is it, Akihito?" she asked, and her eyes narrowed when she noted that he seemed...happy that she was curious about what he wanted from her. She had never done anything to promote _his_ happiness in the castle, only hers. She kept him in her castle for her benefit. She gave him his own room and the servants that waited on him night and day, but only to keep him a live as long as possible so _she _could take advantage of his fortune seeing powers for as long as possible.

It was a great inconvenience that he was human, for if he had been a demon she wouldn't have thought twice about making him _king_ of this castle for all eternity; but only so _she_ could masterfully take over the entirety of Japan with him at her side.

"Where do you plan to go, my lady?" he asked as he pushed off the golden cane in his grasp, only to let out a pained breath and fall back on the silk pillows situated underneath him.

"Out," she replied nonchalantly in return, remaining distant to the sight of Akihito in pain after failing such a simple task as standing upright. It seemed that soon she would no longer have the upper hand over her rivals. She couldn't mask the light growl of anger and disappointment in his mortality that escaped her red painted lips.

"Forgive me, my lady. I have grown old and weak. Soon I will be of no use to you," he murmured as he let his blue eyed gaze fall to the ground in shame. A humorless smile graced the beautiful dog demon's lips as she glanced at her faithful servant with emotionless eyes.

"We will make accommodations for your weakened state," she answered as Akihito's eyes widened before they returned to her face. He gave her another bow of his head in respect before murmuring his thanks.

She turned her head slightly away from his face then, ignoring the feeling that seemed to twist in her stomach. Why did she feel this...strange pain at the sight of Akihito's desperation to remain useful to her? Surely it was do to the fact that her son's desire to be with _his_ human was having a direct affect on her.

She scolded at the floor for a moment before masking the traitorous emotion away. She was about to start walking away when Akihito called out her name. Ignoring the desire to roll her eyes in agitation, she turned back to her servant and awaited his next words.

"Do you plan on retrieving Rin, my lady?" he asked and she coldly narrowed her eyes at him.

"That is none of your concern," she returned and glared at him with Akihito began to laugh. His laugh came out as cackles and coughs, but it was laughter nonetheless.

"Cease your laughing, human," Inukimi growled as Akihito's laughter only seemed to increase as he grabbed his sides and threw his head up to let his voice run loud and free throughout his chambers.

"But of course you're going to get your son's little nymph! I've already seen it, my lady," he continued to laugh as a bright twinkle appeared in his blue eyes as he stared back at her, "I was merely teasing you! But do not take it personally, Lady Inukimi. There just isn't much left for an old man to laugh about these days,"

"I detest the way you speak of your mortality, Akihito," Inukimi admitted with narrowed eyes as Akihito stopped his laughing almost immediately.

"Of course, my lady," he murmured as he gave her another bow and sent a friendly smile her way, "have a safe trip, and I hope that you return home with haste and Rin in tow," he added as Inukimi had to ignore the need to roll her eyes at him, again.

"Hn," she replied as she made her way past his door and out of the castle.

(Divider)

"Hey, Rin? Do ya think you could grab me another hammer from Kag's bag?" Inuyasha yelled down to Rin from atop one of the village huts. Rin gave him a swift nod before running to make her way to Kagome's hut.

Rin had started getting used to all the attention Kagome's uniform had given her, and was rather enjoying all the words of praise and smiles she received from the villagers. She supposed that Kagome's words had been true about the fact that saving the village got her out of any mistreatment. She had just reached Kagome's hut as her footfalls slowed and she approached the entrance apprehensively. Rin still wasn't sure if Kagome had had enough time to herself yet.

"Kagome?" Rin called into the hut as she pulled the hay curtain away from the door entrance. When she received no answer she stiffened and glanced around before spotting something she wished she hadn't.

Her cinnamon eyes widened as she took in the sight of Kagome's body sprawled on the floor. Her arms were resting above her head and she was lying slightly on her left side, her entire forehead coated in sweat. Rin was about to pronounce her dead when Kagome's eyelids began to flutter and her darkened eyes took a moment to focus before they turned towards her.

"Rin..." she murmured in a hoarse voice. Rin let out a gasp of surprise before rushing to her side and grabbing a hold of her hand.

"What happened, Kagome?" Rin asked desperately as she tried to place her free hand under Kagome's shoulders, but the older woman gently pushed her arm away.

"The baby started kicking...and you know that it's...a quarter demon so...it's really...strong," she managed to get out before she let out a groan of pain as she grasped her enlarged belly. Rin's eyes widened at that as she hurriedly looked around for an idea on what to do. She should go get Inuyasha, but it seemed too critical of a time to leave Kagome alone.

"Kagome, I need to get Inuyasha," Rin urged, but Kagome's hand only squeezed harder on her own.

"No...please. I need someone here...with me," Kagome pleaded in return as tears started to glisten in her eyes, "I think the baby is...coming...now,"

"Kagome..." Rin murmured as she gave her a confident nod and squeezed her hand in return.

"I'll stay," she promised and moved to help Kagome get more comfortable on the floor. Kagome flinched every now and then as Rin moved cushions and blankets underneath her body, but didn't cause a huge fuss.

"Do you need your kimono taken off?" Rin asked and Kagome shook her head as Rin knelt down beside her to offer whatever comfort she could. She had been trained by Kaede through the years she had spent there at the village to give proper births, so she knew that Kagome was in good hands with her there.

"This is a birthing kimono, so you simply need to open the middle to give me enough room to spread my legs," Kagome explained as she wiggled her body around the cushions a little to better accommodate herself.

Rin nodded as she stayed by Kagome's side for about ten minutes until Kagome started feeling frequent contractions. Rin checked beneath her kimono to note that Kagome was fully dilated, which meant that the baby was coming out within minutes.

"Rin? Kagome?" Inuyasha's voice called from behind the hay curtain and Kagome let out a squeak of fear as she stared fearfully at the hay curtain. Rin gave her a reassuring pat on her arm before standing up and heading for the door.

"Inuyasha," she called as the half demon spun around to look at her, "we're in here," she added, though blocked his path when he drew closer.

"Does getting a hammer really take you this long, Rin? Keh, I should have just gotten it myself," Inuyasha huffed in annoyance, but paused in his advances towards the hut.

"No," Rin shook her head, "Kagome's going into labor, and I'm here to help her through it,"

"Kagome's in what?" Inuyasha cried out in shock as he quickly made his way towards her, "out of the way, Rin," he commanded, but she merely placed her hands on his chest to stop him.

"No, Inuyasha! Men can't be in the birthing rooms!" Rin insisted as she stood her ground, even though her heels were being pushed into the dirt by Inuyasha merely taking a step forward.

"I can't leave her in there alone! I can't let what happened last time happen again!" he urged and Rin paused when she heard Kagome's weak voice call out to him.

"Inuyasha...Let him in, Rin," she called weakly as Rin let her arms fall and allowed the half-demon to rush into the hut. She gave them a moment before walking in after him.

The scene before her nearly took her breath away. Inuyasha was kneeling in the spot that she had been and was holding Kagome up against his chest in a comforting embrace. Kagome had shut her eyes and grabbed a hold of his arm that had hooked over her chest to hold her slightly upright as she rubbed her cheek against Inuyasha's fire rat kimono.

"Kagome..." Rin murmured as she saw the flash of pain pass over the woman's face before she seemed to grow weak and sagged against Inuyasha's chest.

"How are you feeling?" Inuyasha asked urgently in a whisper as his eyebrows furrowed forward and Rin saw his hands visibly tighten around Kagome's shoulder.

"It...hurts," Kagome murmured as she groggily opened her eyes to stare up into Inuyasha's.

"Just hold on, we'll make it through this," he murmured reassuringly as he lovingly pressed a soft kiss to the side of her head.

"Inuyasha, what happened last time?" Rin asked even though she knew that Kagome hadn't wanted to talk about it earlier. Kagome grimaced slightly before nodding to a worried Inuyasha who turned to stare back at Rin.

"We've wanted children for a while now. We've been mated for nine years and have tried every year for a child," he began as he rested his cheek on the top of Kagome's head, stroking her arm with his thumb.

"I was able...to get pregnant...relatively easily," Kagome stated weakly with a small smile, "so that...wasn't the...problem. It's just...my priestess powers..." Kagome couldn't finish as she let out a sob and tightened her hands on Inuyasha's arm, "I'm so sorry...Inuyasha," Rin heard her murmur to him.

"What happened?" Rin urged gently and Kagome gulped before answering,

"My priestess powers...always...purifies...the baby," Kagome chocked out, her face flushed in guilt and shame.

"Babies that have demon blood in them, no matter how much, exert an amount of demonic energy when they begin to crown. Depending on how strong the demon is, is how much power they exert," Inuyasha explained gravely, "and Kagome's body subconsciously rejects the demonic aura and...purifies the baby. So we have ended up with still born babies each time Kagome had given birth to our children," he added.

Rin's eyes softened at that, and noted the look of guilt that crossed over Kagome's face as well as the pain that crossed over Inuyasha's. Suddenly, Kagome let out a loud groan in pain as she shut her eyes tightly and hid her face in Inuyasha's chest.

"Kagome!" Rin called out as she noted a large amount of liquid begin to spill out from between Kagome's legs.

"My water...just broke," she stated as she subconsciously spread her legs to allow for room for the baby to come through. Rin's eyes narrowed in determination as she hurried over to begin cleaning the area that was stained by the natural warning of birth her body had excreted from her.

"It's always during this time," Inuyasha whispered, "it's around this time that Kagome's stomach begins to glow and she...purifies the baby," he added solemnly. Rin was suddenly stroke with an idea as she looked up from her cleaning to stare at the couple.

"What if I sucked out the demonic energy from your baby temporarily?" she asked, though unsure if it would even work. The couple turned towards her in shock before exchanging glances.

"Would it harm the baby if it didn't have it's demonic energy for a little while?" Rin asked and Inuyasha shrugged before looking down at Kagome.

"I suppose not. Kagome's human so there's no amount of barriers the baby would need to get through if it were being birthed by a demoness. The demonic energy is more of a subconscious thing anyway," Inuyasha replied and Rin nodded towards him when he gave her permission to go on a head.

Rin placed her hands above Kagome's enlarged stomach as she focused in on the energies within the priestess's stomach. She only had but a moment to do this, because she was sure that Kagome's powers would kick in the second it felt the alien aura inside her body.

Rin honed in her concentration on searching for an aura when she felt it. The pull of familiar energy that she had felt after fighting all those demons the night before. She quickly grabbed hold of it with her mind and pulled it out of Kagome as quickly as she could. The light green ribbon of aura slowly appeared from Kagome's stomach before winding itself around Rin.

She held onto the aura for dear life as she worked to help Kagome give birth. Rin quickly pushed the kimono away from Kagome's hips to allow for the most room possible as Inuyasha's ran the back of his hand along Kagome's cheek reassuringly. Kagome let out a couple of screams in pain as the baby's head began to surface from her opening. Inuyasha and Rin held their breath as Kagome's body did the rest of the work, and when the sounds of loud screams filled the air the two visibly relaxed.

Rin grabbed for an extra blanket and made sure to gently dip the little baby into the basin of water she had prepared and cleaned it before gently wrapping it in a warm blanket.

"It's a boy, Kagome," Rin murmured in glee as she allowed the demonic aura to return to the baby's body. He let out a surprised cry before it wiggled and calmed slightly, his body seeming to accept the return of his energy.

"My baby," Kagome choked out as she weakly reached out for him. Rin gladly handed him over to his grateful mother and proud father. Rin smiled when she saw the sheer love that shown in the couple's eyes as they stared down at their child who had stopped screaming the moment he had been put in Kagome's arms.

He glanced up at his mother with curiosity, and though his eyes were gray for the moment, Rin knew that it would change to whatever color he was meant to have in a couple of hours. The baby had a full head of black hair and matching dog ears that twitched this way and that at the sounds of his parents' voices.

"He's beautiful," Kagome cooed as she glanced up at Rin with glistening eyes, "thank you so much Rin. Without you, Inutashio wouldn't have ever been born,"

"Inutashio?" Inuyasha asked back in surprise.

"After your father. Because without him, I wouldn't have you, Inuyasha," Kagome replied and his eyes softened before he smiled and gave her lips a quick kiss before gently rubbing the boy's head with his palm, mindful of his claws. Rin grabbed for the cloth and was about to rub at the blood around Kagome's inner thighs when Inuyasha stopped her with a swift wave of his free hand towards her own.

"I've got this, I'll clean her up," he reassured her and gave her a knowing smile when he saw her face heat up, "it's a demon thing. It's part of my duty as a mate and father," he added, and Rin's eyes softened when she saw his eyes lighten as he stared down at his mate and new son.

She gave him a nod before cleaning her own hands as she stood and made her way out of the hut. She let out a large sigh as the hay curtain fell closed behind her. It was nice to breathe in fresh air after being cooped up as well as have the weight of the stress off her shoulders now that the baby was born alive and healthy. She was happy that she could help, though she had feel the pain emanating off the pair when they had spoken of their many failures at having children.

Rin's gaze fell to the floor as her cinnamon pools saddened. She supposed it made sense that Kagome would end up purifying the demonic baby given the fact that she was a priestess, and Inuyasha a half-demon.

"It seems almost unfair," she murmured as she began to slowly walk back to where Kohaku and Shippo had been before she had been sent to Kagome's hut for that hammer. Kagome and Inuyasha were so in love, and merely wanted to extend their love with a family of their own. It seemed that the couple that wished for a baby the most had to be cursed with such an inconvenience.

"Inutashio..." Rin murmured under her breath with a small smile, "their miracle baby,"

"I assure you, Inutashio is nowhere near a miracle," a familiar voice chided and Rin's head shot up before she swiftly turned her head to the right to spot twin golden pools staring back at her.

"Come out," Rin called back nervously as she took a step towards the trees where the person was hidden from the rest of the villagers.

"Come here," the voice commanded in return as the golden eyes narrowed before Rin heard the rustling of bushes and the eyes began to grow smaller and dimmer as the person walked deeper into the forest. Rin's own eyes narrowed as she hurried after that voice, even though her inner conscious was demanding her to stay away.

She had run towards the direction she had assumed the person had gone and let out a shudder when a twig behind her snapped and she whirled around to spot those same golden pools up close.

"Hello, Sesshomaru's human," Inukimi greeted stoically, a smug smile decorating her already beyond beautiful features.

"Lady Inukimi," Rin responded as she gave the woman a deep bow in respect. She had learned the lady's name after being reminded multiple times by a fuming Jaken each time she referred to Inukimi as Sesshomaru's mother as a child.

Her smile widened slightly as she stared down at her for a moment before motioning her to straighten.

"You have grown from when I saw you last, human. Though, I'm afraid you seemed to have made a turn for the worst. The way you are dressed is truly appalling to Sesshomaru's reputation as your guardian," Inukimi noted before her golden eyes narrowed even as her smile remained in place, "many demons would assume you had grown to be his _whore,_" she added sharply.

Rin's body stiffened at the insult as she returned the lady's glare with one of her own.

"I am simply _borrowing_ these clothes from another. These are not mine, and I would like it very much if you would lighten your tone," Rin retorted angrily.

"So you know a whore?" Inukimi asked back with a light, chiding laugh, "I suppose you are in training then?" she added and seemed to enjoy the fact that her words were cutting at Rin like a knife.

"What do you want from me?" Rin asked, hoping to skip over to what the demoness really wanted, "because I know it isn't to simply ridicule me," she added

"So you want to ruin my fun, do you?" Inukimi asked with a disappointed sigh and a flutter of her long lashes, "I suppose it is about time I got to business. I am here to take you to my castle. My son seems to be in slight disarray due to your absence and I need him to be focused when he inherits my power and lands as well as when he takes a mate," she added.

"You want to take me...back to Sesshomaru?" Rin asked in surprise before her eyes narrowed, "I already told him no, and that is still my answer," she added and Inukimi's eyes narrowed in response before she disappeared before Rin's very eyes.

Rin let out a surprised gasp before glancing around for signs of the demoness, but found her a second too late. Inukimi's clawed hand grabbed hold of Rin's neck as she hoisted her effortlessly above the ground.

"You seem to think very highly of yourself, human. Simply because Sesshomaru abides by your wishes doesn't mean _I_ will," she growled as she lowered her so she could speak into Rin's ear, "and don't think that just because Sesshomaru protected you as a child means that he'll protect you now. Especially from me," she added in an obvious threat.

Rin grabbed a hold of Inukimi's arm with her hands as she focused on her aura before started to extract it from her. She saw the demoness's eyes widen slightly in surprise before she loosened her hold and Rin fell disgracefully to the ground with a loud thud.

"What did you do, human?" Inukimi demanded to know as she stared down at her with those cold golden eyes that reminded Rin so much of a certain dog demon. Rin reached out her hands as she began calling Inukimi's powers to them. The dog demoness let out an abrasive growl before closing her hands into fists and sending Rin a powerful wave of her own aura.

It was too much for Rin to handle and she was sent wheeling towards a nearby tree and let out a pained breath as the bark of the tree dug into her back. Inukimi's eyes were red as she walked towards her; and while she was a terrifying sight to behold, Rin was amazed that she still was able to look elegant as she approached her like the predator she was.

"I do not know what you've done to me human, but you will pay. I won't kill you for my son's sake, but I can think of things that are far worse than death I can do to you," she promised with a deathly smile, but paused at the sound of screams of the nearby villagers.

Rin's head shot to the right at the sound of her fellow villager screams and felt her stomach twist in fear. Could Inukimi have sent demons to raid and destroy her already demolished home?

The demoness's nose twitched slightly as she took in the nearby scents and straightened as a playful smile spread across her lips.

"Interesting," she murmured as Rin turned back to look up at her with surprise.

"What's interesting?" Rin asked as Inukimi spared her a quick glance.

"I smell cats, but what would they be doing here?" she murmured as she began walking towards the direction of the screams.

"Hold on!" Rin called out as she stood up as quickly as she could, given the stabbing pain in her back. Rin was positive there were countless splinters in her back that she'd have to somehow remove soon.

Inukimi glanced at her in slight amusement before pausing to allow her to catch up.

"Do you wish to protect your village, human?" Inukimi asked while giving her a smug smirk, an expression that Rin noted, seemed to be one of the demoness's favorites.

"It's my duty," Rin replied and Inukimi continued to smirk smugly at her as she replied,

"You humans think you know what honor and duty _really_ is. Pitiful,"

"You'd be surprised just how much humans know, if you gave us a chance," Rin answered as she gave Inukimi her best knowledgeable glance. Rin thought it'd work, until Inukimi chidingly laughed at her.

"You are but a _child _on this Earth, human. You know nothing a demon such as I would know," she replied as she began walking towards the sounds of the others. Rin hurried along after her, ignoring the need to keep fighting with the demoness.

They came upon the sight of a group of cat demons jumping around and gathering humans towards what used to be the main square.

"What are they doing?" Rin asked as she hurried in front of Inukimi to take in the scene.

"They are hoarding the humans in one area. It seems they wish to kill all of them with one blow," Inukimi explained, before she smirked, "they are very efficient," she added.

"We have to stop them!" Rin exclaimed as she noted nearly everyone she knew were in that gigantic mass surrounded by cat demon guards. Inukimi huffed in reply as she twirled a silver lock of hair around one clawed finger.

"Humans don't concern me. Why waste my energy on them?" she asked with a bored sigh.

"I – I'll go with you if you help me save the villagers," Rin offered and noted the hint of interest that brightened the demoness's eyes.

"Fine," Inukimi replied, "I'd rather have you come willingly than have to deal with your complaining," she added as she floated down towards the cat demons in an elegant flutter of dark blue and white robes.

Rin was in awe for a moment before rushing after her. Inukimi had been talking to the demon's leader by the time Rin got to her, and picked up on where the two demons had left off.

"...sent by Lord Corson, leader of the East, to find a woman named Rin," the leader stated to Inukimi who turned to glance back at her.

"Why would she be of use to your lord?" Inukimi asked back with a raised brow.

"She has killed one of our lord's sons, and must pay for such an offense," the leader replied.

"I see," Inukimi stated with a slightly amused smile, "and what would happen to these humans you have collected once you find this Rin?"

"We will kill them of course. For killing out great lord's son, the whole village has waged war on the East kingdom," the leader replied. Inukimi's smile remained in place as her eyes narrowed slightly in return.

"I understand, but I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to kill these humans, or Rin," Inukimi stated as she raised her arms up and cracked her claws aggressively. The leader of the cats tensed as he took a wary step back before his green eyes narrowed.

"If you kill us, then you are waging war against the East kingdom, Lady Inukimi," the leader warned, but the smile never left Inukimi's face.

"As far as I am concerned, you have already waged this war, against _me_. You have attacked a village on my boundaries, twice, and one of those attacks was unprovoked and the village was simply left to defend itself," Inukimi replied as she brought her claws up to scratch at the leader demon.

He let out a surprised breath at her speed before backing up and calling his men to follow.

"This is not over Lady Inukimi. We may be retreating now, but we'll be back," he warned, "just know that you have brought this on yourself," he added before he and his pack of cats disappeared.

"Thank goodness that's over," Rin breathed and was about to run towards the group of villagers and check on everyone's welfare when Inukimi called out to her.

"A deal is a deal, human," she reminded Rin, "and you are to return with me to my castle as promised," she added with a glare as she seemed almost begging Rin to openly defy her.

Rin let out a breath before glancing towards the ground. Inukimi was right, a deal was a deal. It seemed that Rin was going to be heading back to the castle in the sky, and back to Sesshomaru.

(Divider)

_Ok more exciting stuff to come! Hope the birthing scene wasn't too gross for anyone :( I tried to be as clean as possible when it came to that. Anyway, until next time!_


	14. Chapter 14

_Sorry this has taken so long to do! Please forgive me! _

_Review Corner_

_pclark: thanks for the review! I'm glad I've kept the story interesting =)_

_Rickashay: Glad you liked the Akihito and Inukimi scene =) it kind of randomly came to me lol. Thanks for your review! _

_Lala: sorry about the super long wait! Hope this makes up for it though, thanks for the review!_

_Ladyrouge214:haha well she'll seem a bit different in this chapter, but hey, you have to get some of your personality from your parents, which is why I made her the way I did =) thanks for the review!_

_Elainehac123: loved your review! Lol I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. =) _

_seshomaru94: Yup, it's very exciting! =) Thanks for the review!_

_CutieSOS: Aww...I like cats...lol. I just used them since they seemed like they were long standing rivals of Sesshomaru's family (based on the series). Also, Shippo was going to ask Rin if she wanted to travel with him. He basically wanted her all to himself before Sesshomaru decided to come back =) thanks for the review!_

_Manni19: Glad you liked the review, though I am a little nervous for you to read this chapter since Rin kind of relapses into her old character from the show...I hope you still like it though! Thanks for the review!_

_Sesshrin devoter: I always love reading your reviews because you give me very good constructive criticism. My idea with Kagome was a very rare idea, but I wondered why it wouldn't happen since her body subconciously purifies demonic aura (ie the jewel shards) so I wondered if her body would treat the baby like a threat, and thus purify it. Also, Kagome seemed rather happy at the end of the actual series to leave her future life behind for Inuyasha, so I assumed she would be happy in my story as well. Also, Rin has become rebellious mainly because of being left by Sesshomaru was a harsh blow to her self-esteem since she didn't know why, so she holds resentment towards that. Teenagers (me included) also tend to dwell on what is plaguing us at the moment, rather than be grateful for what we have and who has provided us to that. Hope this clears up a few things! Thanks again for the review!_

_Tattianygatinha: Yeah, I agree with you. This story has gone on for a while, but I think because initially I had no plot with it. I had no thoughts on where it was going, or how I was planning on getting them back together, so a lot of the beginning chapters are fillers. I am hoping to really speed things up though, not that Inukimi is in the picture. Thanks for your review!_

_ashleyjaneli: thanks so much for your review! I always love hearing that people like my story ideas =) _

_Phyrestorm:thanks so much for your enthusiastic review! And I'm glad that I can make Inukimi into the female dog that she is =). Hope you like this chapter too! _

(Divider)

"Rin, what is _she_ doing here?" Inuyasha asked, openly growling at the demoness. Inukimi merely gave him a smug smile in return before lifting her nose up to the sky in dismissal. Inuyasha's golden gaze darkened as he took a step towards her, one fang hooked over his lower lip.

"Why you – !" Inuyasha snarled, but was interrupted by Kagome who placed a gentle hand on his chest.

"Inuyasha, please," Kagome murmured with a glare, "Lady Inukimi, what an honor it is to see you again. May I ask why you have come?" she rephrased kindly to make up for Inuyasha's blunder. Inukimi gave Kagome a similar look before her golden eyes traveled over to Rin.

"My actions are my own to consider, and none of your business," she informed the priestess, but kept her gaze locked on Rin. Kagome followed her gaze before her dark brown eyes widened slightly.

"You're here for Rin?" she asked, before she let out a pained breath and fell weakly against Inuyasha's chest. Inukimi let out a short, humorless laugh before she covered her painted lips with a dainty hand.

"You're such a fool," she chided, "for what human woman would be able to stand after giving birth?" she added before glancing at the quarter demon in the woman's arms. She did not say anything to the child, but Rin thought she saw something close to admiration shine in the demoness' eyes as she stared at the gurgling baby. A baby who seemed entirely too comfortable in her presence, and had a strong likeness to her former mate. But it was only for a moment, for in the next her eyes had hardened and Rin was convinced that she had imagined the look entirely.

"You'd be surprised by what I can do," Kagome managed to say in between heavy breathes, "we humans have become far stronger than the humans _you_ knew,"

"You speak like you have the right to," Inukimi observed coldly before she glanced back at Rin, "you must have taught this one to behave as she does. She was _such_ an obedient child when I first met her,"

"Obedience that got me nothing in return," Rin stated, speaking outright for the first time since reaching the square. Inukimi's eyebrows rose at that before she suddenly broke out into a fit of giggles. The group of humans that had been rounded up stared at the demoness in both confusion and fear before a cluster of whispers echoed throughout the square. They had never heard a full demon as strong and intimidating as Inukimi burst out into laughter before.

"Nothing, you say? Do you believe that if you acted the way you do now, that Sesshomaru would have protected you as he had? He would've struck you down right after resurrecting you!" she exclaimed between giggles. She found it funny enough that tears were starting to form at the sides of her beautiful eyes.

Rin, Kagome, and Inuyasha could do nothing but stare at her. Neither knew what to do or say to the oddly behaved demon. Normally demons were rather reserved like Sesshomaru, or highly abrasive and loud like the demons who had attacked the village. Having Inukimi jump from stereotype to stereotype had them all clueless as to what the demon's true personality was. Rin wondered then what it would be like to hear Sesshomaru laugh like his mother did, but instantly squashed the fantasy and was angry that she had even thought about it. Inutashio merely gurgled in Kagome's arms, but Rin saw his mouth move like he was trying to smile, and maybe join Inukimi in her fit of laughter. Eventually her giggles died down to shallow breathes before she was able to compose herself, and then suddenly glared at Rin.

"Come on, human. We're wasting time here," she told her in a scold, and Rin felt even more confused at her action.

"But I – " she began before another voice interrupted her.

"Where did you come from?" Shippo asked suddenly as the fox demon appeared from behind the crowd of humans. Rin felt her heartbeat quicken at the sight of him, and couldn't help the gasp that left her lips when she sensed the aura filtering around his body. Had she not seen him standing only a few feet away from her, she would've confused his aura with Sesshomaru's. He glanced at her for a moment, as if sensing her surprise, before he sent her a small smile. A challenging growl sounded near Rin, and she glanced at Inukimi to see her lips curled around her teeth in warning. Shippo's orange hair stood up on end when his green eyes locked onto Inukimi's, and Rin saw his stance tighten. Inukimi's eyes crawled over the demon's face before she suddenly clapped her hands on her cheeks with a shriek.

"A fox demon! I haven't seen one of you in over a century!" she exclaimed, and Rin nearly fell over at Inukimi's jump from one mood to the next. Just how bipolar could she be? Shippo gave her a similar expression, and his stance loosened in surprise. When her light golden eyes began to shine in pleasure, Shippo's hair stood up on end for a completely different reason and he looked ready to bolt out of the square.

"I – I didn't think fox demons were that rare," he informed her before giving her a frightened look when she whirled around to look back at Rin.

"We leave now, human. Before you can create any more distractions. You must know that a promise to a demoness is an unbreakable one," Inukimi told her with a dark stare as Rin felt her face fall. She had forgotten her promise thanks to Inukimi's random actions, and felt her heart beat quicken at the thought of leaving.

"Yes. I did make a promise to you, and I will keep my word," Rin replied with a heavy heart, and saw realization shine in Kagome's eyes.

"You promised to leave with Inukimi if she saved us? Rin! You can't just promise your life away like that! We could have fought off those cat demons on our own!" Kagome cried out sporadically, and Rin was surprised at the emotion that rang in Kagome's voice. Though she had spent only a few fleeting moments with her as a child and a few more as an adolescent, she had never thought she'd mean so much to the priestess she barely knew.

"Leave it alone, priestess," Inukimi chided, "Rin has already given me her word, and there is nothing that you can say that will change it. At least Sesshomaru taught you that much," she added with a dark look Rin's way.

"Rin – !" Shippo exclaimed as he glanced between the two women, "you can't simply leave!...Fight me for her!" Shippo suddenly proclaimed as Inukimi's eyes seemed to brighten in interest, but she merely waved him off.

"While your loyalty is admirable, I will not waste any more time in this village. I have other matters I need to tend to beside the human," she added before she made her way over to her. Rin stood apprehensively next to the demoness, but Inukimi did not reach out to her. Instead she turned towards the crowd still hovering in the square.

"I will be back to check for more cats, but don't think my actions have any meaning past my own interests," Inukimi chided, and the humans nodded in unison at her. Inuyasha and Kagome remained mute, but Rin saw the looks of sadness that shined in the couple's eyes.

Rin also noted that Shippo looked ready to run after her, but stopped when Kagome called out for him to stay. He sent Rin a helpless look, and she could tell that he desperately wanted to fight for her. His desire to keep her at the village was flattering, and Rin sent him a genuine smile just as a ball of light encompassed both her and Inukimi.

(Divider)

"Lady Inukimi went where?" Jaken cried out in agitation as Akihito let out a crackle.

"You heard me, she went after Rin!"

"But, she wanted to remain at the village! How will she convince Rin to return?" Jaken asked before he lowered his voice, "and how will Lord Sesshomaru react when he finds out?"

"Lady Inukimi has her ways, and I'm quite sure how Lord Sesshomaru will act," Akihito told him before giving the toad demon a smirk, "but I'd much rather leave you in suspense than give in and tell you,"

"Why would you torture poor Jaken so?" Jaken exclaimed, "If Lord Sesshomaru should be displeased, then what will happen to me? He will surely take out his frustrations on me!"

"You do not need to fear, Jaken. Rin will right things as she always has," Akihito replied, and watched as Jaken moved his mouth wordlessly at him.

"Just because Rin may have calmed Lord Sesshomaru's spirits in the past, does not mean that I will go without being beaten unprovoked!" Jaken stated before he hung his head, "and I was so happy when I hadn't seen my lord leave his quarters since his return..."

"What did you say, Jaken?" Sesshomaru asked as the dog demon gracefully passed the two men, his eyes remaining distant and unreadable. Jaken nearly choked on his own tongue as he sputtered apologies to his demon lord. Akihito merely surveyed the dog demon over his golden cane. It always baffled him how alike mother and son were, and he wondered if _they_ could see the resemblance. He only smiled at the thought before his head shot up when he saw Sesshomaru begin walking towards the front door.

"Where are you going, Lord Sesshomaru?" he asked rather hastily as Sesshomaru paused in the doorway before he gave his mother's servant a sideways glance.

"That is none of your concern," Sesshomaru replied and Akihito let out a curt laugh before nodding.

"Much like your mother would have said. Now, do you have a different response you would like to tell me?" Akihito asked, and enjoyed the slightly agitated look he received from Sesshomaru. The dog demon wasn't one to readily show emotions, especially to a "lowly servant" as himself, so Akihito took pride when he got a glimpse into Sesshomaru's inner workings.

"You should be proud that you're useful to us, or you wouldn't still be alive," Sesshomaru threatened, a threat that Akihito easily laughed off.

"You test me so readily Lord Sesshomaru! Is something amiss, or wrong in your life-seeking journey of fulfillment?" he asked impishly(in a tone that even Jaken was envious of). Sesshomaru simply chose not to answer him, but turned his head around and proceeded to walk out of the fortress. Jaken stared after him before squawking in fear.

"L – Lord Sesshomaru! Please wait for me!" his faithful servant cried out in dismay.

"Hold on, Jaken," Akihito ordered as Jaken puffed out his chest before pointing a green finger in his direction.

"It's _your_ fault that Lord Sesshomaru is leaving! If you just kept your mouth shut he might have waited for me!"

"Lord Sesshomaru wouldn't have waited for you. You don't have the choice in his ways, you never had the choice..." he stated solemnly before his blue eyes fell to the elegantly rugged floor. Jaken's angry expression faltered slightly as he noted the pain in the man's eyes, but remained mute as Akihito traveled deeper and deeper into his thoughts.

(Divider)

Rin felt her knees buckle under her once they were on land again that she nearly face planted on the concrete entrance. She would have too, if Inukimi's white aura bubble hadn't righted her wobbling stance.

"You act like you've never traveled in this way before," Inukimi noted as she looked Rin up and down. Rin held her head in her hands as she shut her eyes tightly. It helped slow the spinning in her head, if only a little.

"I was never standing whenever Sesshomaru and I traveled like that. He always carried me," Rin replied as Inukimi's eyes brightened in interest.

"Carried you, did he? My son has become the most peculiar demon since you're existence jolted his solitary life," Inukimi observed curiously before she began walking ahead of her, "hurry now, or you'll be left behind!" she added with a wide smile as Rin held in her need to flinch at the woman's sudden happy tone.

Rin followed after the demoness apprehensively until she entered the castle. Twin red doors greeted her at the top as two demon servants with crescent moon markings on their foreheads opened the doors. Inukimi didn't spare them a glance, but Rin muttered a soft "thank you" to the guards as they each turned and gave her surprised stares. Whether the stares were because she thanked them or because she was human, Rin wasn't sure.

The sight that came into her line of sight next was both unbelievable and awe inspiring. The walls and floor were decorated in the finest silks and threads Rin had ever seen. The entrance alone looked better than any Rin could have imagined or dreamed of. The hallway was decorated in a mixture of blue and golds that reminded Rin of the sash tied around Sesshomaru's waist that held his two swords at his side. The silks looked so fine that Rin was afraid to even brush aside one, in case it unraveled in her human fingers.

The riches before her also brought back memories of her modest upbringing, and how she had been taught to never wish for such things. For they would be out of reach for a common peasant girl. She remembered how her brothers' eyes would shine at the fine uniforms that the rich demons would wear that passed by their village. That was when her father began giving them the social class talk. The thought made her think more of her father, and how he had told her never to wish too high. Because if she did, she would surely be disappointed. He had told her that she would marry a peasant boy one day, and have a family much like her parents. Hoping for better was a waste of time.

She wondered what her life would have been like if they had survived with her. Would she have ever met Sesshomaru? Would she be happy and carefree like her mother had been? _But I was carefree and happy...with Sesshomaru_, Rin thought as she remembered how safe and protected she had felt in the demon's presence as a child.

_So, why did he leave me without so much as an explanation? _She thought as her eyes lowered to the ground and she felt the pain in her chest return. It was dulled and hardly as painful as it had been the first day Rin had been left with Kaede, but it still hurt nonetheless.

"What are you thinking about, human?" Inukimi asked, and sounded genuinely curious. Rin blinked out of her thoughts to glance over at Inukimi.

"Nothing," she replied and Inukimi gave her a smirk.

"As you should be. Humans are not meant to think as demons do," she answered and Rin merely looked at the ground. She did not linger on Inukimi's condescending words, but felt herself escaping into her thoughts once more.

_I'm such a fool_, she thought, _instead of finding out why Sesshomaru left me with Kaede, I started a fight about it with him instead_. She felt so childish that she wondered if she would always seem that way to Sesshomaru. Did he give up on her because she truly hadn't changed from the child she had been? Sure, she had gained a new power, and grown physically, but mentally? Could she still have a lot of growing up to do?

Maybe it was right for her to return to him, to finally find out what her heart had ached for so long to know.

"Lady Inukimi, what a pleasure it is to see you again," an old man greeted, and Rin was momentarily taken aback by his appearance. For a man that looked well into his eighties, he was surprisingly handsome. The aging process had been kind to him. He stood tall and proud with his white hair brushed over his eyebrows, and matching colored eyebrows that hovered atop bright blue eyes. Rin had never seen eyes so blue.

"So, you've decided to drink the elixir, Akihito," Inukimi replied with a pleased smile, and Rin was surprised to hear the demoness speak the man's name. Based on his appearance, he was human. Rin thought Inukimi hated humans, based on the treatment she had received from her.

"Yes, my lady, and it has given me newfound strength," he told her with a broad, white toothed grin, "now, if only it would reverse my wrinkles as well. I do pity the fact that you must look upon such an old face every day," he added.

"Your appearance does not bother me, so long as you can remain useful to me," Inukimi told him, and Rin felt her curiosity about the two dim then. Of course Inukimi wouldn't hold a special place in her heart for the man, she was merely using him for her own personal gain. Rin couldn't help making the parallel between those two and the relationship Sesshomaru and Jaken had. Akihito sent her a knowing smile before his eyes traveled over to Rin.

"Ah, so I finally get to meet the beautiful maiden that has plagued Lord Sesshomaru's every thought!" Akihito exclaimed as Rin felt a blush burn its way to her cheeks, "you truly are beautiful, my dear. I wish I could be sixty years younger, for I would have been irresistible to such a breathtaking woman as yourself!" he flirted as Rin felt a warm smile spread across her face. Though such attention would have made her feel awkward, something about the man's voice made his flirting sound utterly harmless.

"Akihito, stop your incessant flirting," Inukimi scolded, "the girl does not need to hear such things, or she'll think as you do,"

"Meaning?" Akihito baited her.

"She'll think much too highly of herself,"

"Much like I did, when you first met me in my most charming form? You must admit that I was hard to resist, even for you," Akihito asked, and Rin glanced between the couple before a light suddenly went off in her head. The using of the name, the banter back and forth; it all made some sort of sense. Could there have been some sort of love affair between the two? Had it not just been Inutashio who had found someone else?

Inukimi merely let out a laugh, bringing her arm up to daintily cover her mouth.

"You still think much too highly of yourself Akihito," she noted as the man let out a chuckle to join in with the demoness. Rin suddenly felt out of place when she noted that the two were sharing a moment; a moment that looked like it had been shared numerous times before between the couple. When the laughter had died down, and the odd softness gone from Inukimi's eyes, Akihito turned towards Rin.

"You must be incredibly shaken after being taken from your home so suddenly," Akihito observed as Rin turned her head towards the door.

"Yes, and I wish I could have stayed, but I made a promise to Lady Inukimi," Rin replied and Akihito laughed.

"Yes, I know you have, and it is very wise of you to abide by that promise,"

"You know – but how?" Rin couldn't help but ask.

"I'm a fortune teller, my dear," he replied with a smile, "I have already seen what will happen in the future, and I saw you make your promise to Lady Inukimi even before you were born into this world,"he added, and his smile widened when Rin stated at him in blatant shock.

"Akihito, show Rin to a spare room," Inukimi suddenly ordered, her formal tone back in place. Rin watched as Akihito's expression turned more serious as well as he gave her a curt nod. Though Inukimi's sudden change seemed rather cold, Rin noted that Akihito didn't even seem affected. Instead, he gave her a warm smile as he gestured Rin to follow him.

"I'll show you to your new room so that you may freshen up and relax for the night," he informed her as Rin walked at his side, but cast the demoness a quick backward glance. Inukimi stood poised and comfortable in the massive hallway, and was staring up at a painting of a moonlight night. She seemed to have blocked out Rin's presence altogether. Rin wondered then why Inukimi seemed so trusting of her. Couldn't Rin simply run away while Inukimi wasn't watching? Were promises to demons like written contracts?

_Then why...why did Sesshomaru so easily break the promise he made to me?_ Rin thought sadly as she turned away from the demoness and followed Akihito down the the rest of the wide hallway.

(Divider)

_Ok, so I know it's been so long since I've updated, and I'm truly sorry! But I promise that I'll try my best to bring this story back around as best I can. Hope to hear your feedback soon! =) _


End file.
